The Lightning Phoenix
by ESA25
Summary: Harry trains himself in magic from a young age and uses his abilities to escape the Dursley's, along with making a name for himself not only in the wizarding world, but the muggle world as well. Harry decided to skip Hogwarts and only attends when the magic of the Goblet forces him to attend. Harry is 17 when the tournament is being held. Powerful/Light/Ind/Harry H/NT/FD/KB/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I own nothing**

**Harry learned of his magical powers before Hogwarts. Reading his cousins comics, he realized he was born to be a superhero and needed to build up his powers to combat evil. He ignores the Hogwarts letter at age 11, realizing he can learn so much quicker by himself. He makes two magical friends and one muggle friend that know who he is. He is the Lightning Phoenix, a wizard known to both muggle and magical worlds as a hero. What problems will this bring the wizarding world when they realize a wizard is flaunting the statute of secrecy. First, they need to find out who this wizard is. **

**Light Harry/Powerful Harry/Independent Harry **

**Dumbledore is good, but controlling.**

**Parts of this are screwed up. Don't pay attention to certain canon ages or what happens in what years. Things are changed. Obviously AU.**

**The first chapter is just a quick overview of the ten years Harry has been missing, so I apologize if it seems rushed. The rest of the chapters will hold more detail.**

**Harry/Tonks/Fleur/Katie Bell/OC**

**This is not a smut fic, just because its Harry/multi. I don't write lemons, maybe hints at activities, but that's it, if that's what you are worried about. **

**10 Years**

Dumbledore looked over the sea of students that were waiting on the new first years to be sorted. He couldn't help having his thoughts drift to the magnitude of problems that had plagued him over the past ten years. Foremost on his mind was Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Disappeared, as it always was on the first of September. Harry Potter had been missing from his relatives since he was 9 years old and he had yet to be found. Many people had given up all hope of finding him, but Dumbledore wasn't one of them.

He knew Harry Potter was alive and he also knew Harry Potter was well aware of his wizarding heritage. First, the book of magical children that Rowena Ravenclaw herself created, still had Harry's name listed as a potential student and his name wouldn't disappear until after his seventh year, which coincidentally was this year.

It was an educated guess that the only way a wizard, especially a nine year old, could hide himself so thoroughly from a whole world of witches and wizards that were looking for him, was if he had magical help. If he had magical help, then he was obviously aware of the world that he belonged in.

The second thing that proved without a doubt that Harry Potter was alive and aware of his role in society was the Wizengamot. On Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, the Potter seats were lit in the chambers, but Harry had yet to show up. Many people were expecting him to show up at the previous Wizengamot's meeting, since it was the first one since Harry turned seventeen, but they hadn't been that lucky.

Now here, Dumbledore sat hoping and praying Harry would show up for his last year of magical education. He needed Harry here where he could be looked after when Voldemort returned. He felt the time would be soon. Dark activity had been increasing over the last couple of years and the Headmaster was getting increasingly paranoid. He had even convinced his long time friend Alastor Moody to become the DADA teacher.

Albus Dumbledore himself knew he was extremely lucky that he didn't face multiple charges in the disappearance of Harry Potter. He had gotten to the Dursley's first, thanks to his monitoring charms and was appalled at the treatment given to their savior. He had to do quick damage control, so when the DMLE showed up, he could minimize the abuse. Oh, the Dursley's had still been locked up for their despicable behavior, but if Dumbledore wasn't there, he was sure there would be a new war on muggles and he wasn't sure if he would even get any support preventing it.

Even with the damage control, he had to use all available influence he had, to keep all of his positions in the Wizarding world. He couldn't keep out his own involvement in picking the Dursley's as guardians and Minerva was only too happy to testify about his involvement.

The disappearance of Harry Potter wasn't actually what worried the magical world and Dumbledore the most though. No, it was the new wizard that had come out of nowhere two years before Harry's disappearance. An extremely powerful wizard that had absolutely no regard for the Statute of Secrecy. The worst part about it was, they could legally do nothing about it since he was actually given the Queen's approval and was Knighted.

The Queen's approval didn't stop the whole magical world from trying to find out who this mysterious wizard was and get him to stop his actions though. He was the equivalent of the muggle world's superhero. He had powers wizards at Hogwarts, and many that had finished Hogwarts, could only dream of having.

It had first started ten years ago with little things. Saving people from burning buildings, stopping an odd mugger, and just all around helping people out. He had perfected the disillusionment charm, so many people had no idea what had saved them and as muggles were apt to do, thanked God for the miracle.

Two years later and things started to change. The wizard was no longer hiding from the muggles. The powers he had were amazing and even Albus could admit he was envious. Broomless flight, wandless magic, and the power to control storms, made the wizard a very formidable opponent. His powers just continued to increase from there and it was uncommon for the Aurors to even see him, never the less corner him. He didn't seem to care when they did corner him, because he had an uncanny ability to get out of every situation.

Six years ago was when things really got interesting. It would have been Harry Potter's first year, but the young man had failed to show up. Everyone old enough to know what was going on could remember September 1st of 1991 like it was yesterday and it wasn't because of Harry Potter.

Getting the students to bed, after the start of term feast became impossible after every wizarding wireless turned on at the same time. This could only mean one thing, an emergency broadcast was about to be given to the entire British Magical Community. What was said still haunts many of the Wizarding Worlds leaders to this day.

It was the Queen, one of the few non magicals that were well aware of the magical community. Many of the magicals refused to believe it, but she did also have every right to step back in and take control of the magical government. The Queen was quick to point out that whatever she broadcasted here would be given to the muggles as well the next day. No warning had been given to the magical government about what was about to be said.

The Queen went on to explain about the Lightning Wizard, the name the wizard came up for himself. She went on to explain how he had the Queen's full confidence and that yes, he was a true superhero to the world. He was immune from prosecution until the Queen revoked the decision herself.

She went on to explain, mainly to the Muggles, that he did truly have supernatural powers and she looked forward to see him continue fighting crime. She went on to explain the Knighthood and everything that it included.

The Muggle world had truly changed that day and the higher ups in the magical world would never admit it was for the better. This included Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. How could Muggles understand them? The magical world needed to stay hidden and therefore safe from the muggle's greater numbers. Muggles were a violent race and he had trouble believing that they wouldn't be wiped out if they were discovered. This upstart wizard had just given the Muggles a greater chance of finding them.

There was little point in obliviation anymore when it came to this Lightning Wizard now that the whole world knew of him. To be honest, there was little point before. It was hard to cover up someone that had no problem being seen. Obliviation couldn't destroy video cameras and wizards had no idea what cameras were anyway.

Muggles though, were ecstatic with this new hero. It took them virtually no time at all to fall in love with the man. Toys were made of him, movies made, and children would go to bed dreaming about meeting or becoming like their hero. It did not take long for this wizard to become the most famous man in the world. The Queen's approval only cemented his reliability.

Albus admitted that this was a horrible development for the magical world, but he could have excepted it, if it would have stayed in the Muggle world. No, the man couldn't keep himself away from the wizarding world though and made his first debut right in Hogwarts.

That year, Albus had decided to set a trap for the spirit of the Dark Lord Voldemort. He had convinced his old mentor Nicholas Flamel to hand over the stone for safe keeping, since he had heard rumors of an attempt on the stone. A few whispers in the right ears and he was positive Voldemort would be on his way to Hogwarts. The year went exactly as he expected until it was time to set the trap..

Knowing the target had taken the bait, Albus had quickly went to the room that housed the mirror. There was no way that Voldemort could defeat his trap and he then could go through the process of trying to trap the Dark Lord. He knew he couldn't defeat or kill Voldemort, that job was Harry Potters, but he could try and get answers on how he had survived that fateful night.

When he got to the room, he wasn't sure if he was livid enough at the situation to cause his blood to boil or turn to ice out of fear at what he was seeing. There in the middle of the floor, next to a broken Mirror of Erised, was a pile of ash, with the Lightning Phoenix symbol, hovering a few feet above. A midnight black phoenix, with a lightning bolt in its claw, taking off in flight, looking ready for a fight.

How had the wizard broken into Hogwarts without his knowing? How had he defeated a possessed Voldemort? How did he get out of here so fast through the school's legendary wards? Did this wizard take the Stone? That question brought him out of his stupor and he immediately examined the mirror. The stone was gone and he had no idea where to look. Actually, he now had reason to get that stupid immunity off the wizard and they could start hunting him again. Stealing a priceless stone from a couple that were over six-hundred years old was enough reason to get him arrested. He was sure the Queen would be cooperative when he explained the crime.

He had just issued the arrest warrant and set out half of the Aurors to arrest the wizard when the Queen had made an appearance. She had actually made an appearance in the Wizengamot and the worst part about it was she looked absolutely livid. Maybe he shouldn't have assumed she would just listen to him. He had explained what had happened and why they had no choice to issue the warrant. Surely she could see that this was as bad as the Crown Jewels being stolen.

The Queen then presented her own witness and it was not one that Albus Dumbledore had been expecting or looking forward to meeting so soon. He had been ignoring the man, hoping to get the stone back before having to talk with him. Nicholas Flamel came in and he was smiling and Albus knew this wouldn't bode well for him.

Nicholas went on to explain how this mysterious Lightning Wizard showed up at his house within ten minutes of taking the stone and handed it back to him. All attempts at reaching Albus to placate him and assure him that the stone wasn't in any danger failed since the man was ignoring him. Nicholas also refused to answer any questions on the identity of the wizard. It was truly an embarrassing day for the Leader of the Light.

At least the next year, the only thing that happened was the Lightning Wizard was back out in the Muggle World and Albus would be happy if he just stayed there. The more interaction he had with both worlds, increased the chances of exposure. Already the Muggle world was asking if there were possibilities of more people being capable of these supernatural feats.

His relief had been short lived though as the 93-94 school year had been terrorized. He knew what was causing the petrifications and he knew who was causing them, just not how. Dumbledore wasn't considered a genius for no reason, but the problem he had was it took a certain skill to get into the chamber. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't match the power of the founders and the sentient magic of the school, to break down the wards on the chamber. Once again, he could only sit back and watch as the basilisk wreaked havoc in his school.

Then, something truly terrible happened and a student had been taken into the Chamber. His assumption that a student was being possessed somehow to open the Chamber had been verified when he had been told about Ginny Weasley entering the Chamber using Parseltongue from Myrtle. There was just no way that a Weasley could be a Parseltongue or the Heir of Slytherin. They were as light as they came.

All he could do over the course of the next few hours was pray that young Ginny made it out of the Chamber alive. Hopefully, she possessed enough willpower to beat back whatever was trying to possess her. He, himself felt defeated. He should have swallowed his pride and allowed the Unspeakables a chance to examine the second floor bathroom.

He had been the hero for so long, the one that everyone came to for the last fifty years, that he thought he knew best. The sad thing was, that he could only admit it when he realized there was no hope to get the youngest Weasley back. It was time to inform the parents and siblings.

The parents were distraught. Molly fell to her knees in despair, while Arthur tried to look strong for the family. It was easy to see that he would be joining his wife on the floor soon. The other four Weasley's that were in school just stared in disbelief at the Headmaster, hoping it was some kind of sick joke.

Arthur was the first to break the silence, still holding on by a thread. "I would like to see the place my daughter has been taken." Arthur wasn't sure why he said it, but he felt a need to be there. He needed to see the writing himself, he needed to see that there was absolutely nothing that could be done about getting in the Chamber.

The walk was a slow walk towards the second floor bathroom. They desperately wanted to get there, but were in absolute terror at what they would find. If there truly was nothing there, it would just hammer home, that Ginny was probably gone for good.

What met them was as much a shock as it was a relief. There, with her back to the open sink was Ginny Weasley, crying her eyes out. It only took a moment for the shock to wear off before Molly Weasley was running for her baby girl. "GINNY! Oh Ginny! Thank Merlin you're alright." She proceeded to crush her youngest in a hug while bawling. Her words became unrecognizable after reaching Ginny. Arthur had been only a step behind his wife, along with the rest of the family.

Albus, not having quite the emotional attachment to the situation was looking over the scene, trying to determine what had happened. How was Ginny Weasley alive and looking little worse for wear? Then he saw it, the sign that he had seen two years previous. A midnight black Phoenix, with a lightning bolt clutched in his claws, while taking off in flight, was etched into the sink.

The Lightning Phoenix had once again saved the day and once again made Albus Dumbledore look incompetent. He would wait to question Ginny later though, because the Chamber had been left open and he had desired this opportunity for fifty years. He wanted to see inside the legendary Chamber. Turning back to the Weasley's he instructed them to wait in his office for his return.

He took the slide down to the chamber, through a long tunnel where he reached another set of doors that was still open. Wary of a trap that may have been set, he walked in the vast hall with wand in hand looking for any movement. He knew there was a basilisk down here, so he needed to be careful. Looking around at all the snake statues and the face of Salazar Slytherin created in the far wall, he continued to walk towards it. If there were any secrets, they were sure to lie there.

Upon reaching the statue of Slytherin, there was a note stuck at eye level on Salazar's chin. Checking for any traps and finding none, he reached for the note to see what the Lightning Phoenix wanted with him.

_Headmaster Dumbledore,_

_I just wanted to let you know that I have taken care of the Basilisk for you. The only entrance into the Chamber is through a Parselmouth, so without Voldemort completely changing his outlook on muggleborns, the terror would have continued. _

_At your obvious question, yes I am a Parselmouth, but I am not an heir of Slytherin. As you know, Parselmouth wasn't just a Slytherin trait, it was just he who made the trait infamous. Now, we all tend to hide the gift that was given to us out of fear of persecution. I, however am not afraid of what the public may think of me. I have a record that speaks for itself and I am determined for the world to see what it really is. A gift, that is incredibly useful, and how we use it determines who we are. _

_As for the basilisk, I slayed it using Gryffindor's sword and have taken it as a 'Right of Conquest.' I have also invoked my 'Right of Conquest' over Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, and have stripped the Chamber clean of all books, magical objects, and Potions ingredients. As you know as Chief Warlock, this is well within my rights._

_I have allowed the Chamber to stay open indefinitely, to allow it to be used as a historical reference. You may want to send some people down to make sure that I haven't missed anything that could potentially be harmful to students. I had limited time to clear the area before I knew you would show up._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_The Lightning Phoenix_

By the time he had finished the letter, he was livid. 'How dare this wizard steal anything from the school.' In his mind the Chamber was part of the school and therefore, everything in it belonged to the school, namely him. He had been waiting fifty long years to get into the Chamber and when he finally did, there is nothing left but some fancy statues. He completely forgot, that the only way he was able to get down there, was because of the mysterious wizard.

Remembering, he still had the Weasley's waiting for him, he called for Fawkes and made his way back up to his office. There he learned, that it indeed was the Lightning Wizard and they were able to get their first eyewitness account from a magical. He was about 5' 6" and if the blush on Ginny's face was anything to go by, incredibly well built. From the description, Dumbledore put together that he had a lean athletic body.

The description of his face, however, was frustrating. It was clear that no one had gotten a clear look at him, not even in the muggle world. His hair had changed from blue, to green, to a midnight black, before he left Ginny at the entrance. A Metamorphagus, just another power that this mysterious wizard had under control. If it wasn't for the fact that they couldn't change genders he would be going to look for one of his third year students, Nymphadora Tonks. Not to mention, it was out of the realm of possibilities that she could take on Slytherin's basilisk and win as a third year.

The next three years were much calmer at Hogwarts. Nothing exciting happened besides the usual hallway duels. The outside world was a different story. It was indeed the Lightning Phoenix that had been in the Chamber and he had indeed slain the basilisk. He now was only seen wearing basilisk hide as armor, which was rumored to be able stop all curses, except the unforgivables. He was also seen carrying the sword of Gryffindor in a scabbard as well. He truly looked like a Muggle Superhero. How he got the sword's allegiance, Albus was still pondering.

The only exciting event to happen in the wizarding world was Sirius Black's escape and then subsequent pardoning. The Lightning Phoenix had not just made a fool of Albus Dumbledore this time but the upper echelons of the Ministry as well. He wasn't above admitting that he felt some vindictive pleasure in the humbling of Cornelius Fudge.

Sirius Black had escaped the summer after the Chamber incident. Within a week, the Queen had issued a memo to Cornelius that they were to cease any attempts at capturing Black, as the Lightning Wizard had him in custody. The truly confusing part was that they refused to hand over Black until a trial could be arranged.

This didn't go over well with the wizarding world, because all knew he was guilty. Anyone that was warming up to this wizard that was parading around in the Muggle World, were now calling for his arrest at harboring a criminal. It didn't matter that the order had come from the Queen. Albus also used the opportunity to 'accidentally' leak that this wizard was a Parselmouth.

The older generation, that remembered Voldemort, wanted his immediate capture. The surprising thing was the students at the castle. Usually ones so young were willing to go along with any gossip and follow their leaders, but this was not the case. With the instigators being the Weasley's, they actually defended this wizard for saving the school. They reminded everyone of the terror that the monster had unleashed and if it wasn't for him, there would have certainly been deaths next.

Because of this, parents started questioning things and soon people were actually questioning why they cared if Black had a trial. They were sure he was guilty, but that would be seen in the trial. Nothing actually unlawful was being done and the Queen and Lightning Phoenix were perfectly willing to give him up if he was guilty.

This also led to questioning of why he didn't have a trial in the first place and soon public pressure mounted on Cornelius to give Black a trial. The public just wanted him locked back into Azkaban and if a trail was the way it would happen, then it was a simple enough solution.

The day of the trial was set and everyone was waiting at the entrance hall at the ministry for the accused to be brought in. There were excited murmurs going around, that only the Lightning Phoenix had the ability to bring in Black and that surely meant he was going to be there.

The Atrium at the Ministry had a similar enchanted ceiling as the Hogwarts Great Hall so that the weather could be seen inside. It was a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky, when things started turning around. Dark, stormy clouds came in out of nowhere, winds howling so fast, that you could see debris whipping around in what looked like the eye of a tornado. Then the lightning started and with it came thunder louder than anyone had ever heard. While people were watching this spectacle and becoming increasingly afraid, the more observant could see a ball of white energy sparking, getting bigger every second within the clouds, until without warning it shot through the storm, through the Atrium ceiling, and struck the floor. A thunder clap at the spot the lightning reached brought all attention to the smoke that was slowly dissipating.

There, where the lightning bolt hit, stood three people. Sirius Black, looking healthier than he had in years, the Queen of England, and who everyone knew had to be The Lightning Phoenix. He was sporting dark green hair at the moment, with icy blue eyes. Everyone knew that he was a Metamorphagus, so they didn't even try to get a conclusive view of him.

"Wow, what a ride! Can we do that again?" Sirius shouted out in glee, not caring that he was standing in front of a group of people that would like nothing more than to see him drop dead.

"Maybe another time Sirius." It was the first time any of the magical community had heard him speak. It was s deep voice, no doubt disguised with his talents, but it was still interesting to know, for sure, that this wizard truly did exist, and not from second hand accounts. "First, we need to get you that trial."

The Lightning Phoenix deferred to the Queen, when he realized the people in the Atrium, had yet to move since the entrance. She quickly took the lead in the situation. "Where is the Auror Guard that is supposed to escort us to the Wizengamot. We don't have all day and want to get this situation over with."

A tall black man, with a gold earring came out of his trance at the sound of the Queen's voice and he immediately took control. Walking over to the Queen and the two wizards, he gave the orders for his Auror's to provide the guard. Without haste, the Guard immediately marched the three through the still stunned Atrium. The Auror's didn't even try to bind Black up like they normally would. After that display of entering, what was supposed to be one of the most secure areas in Britain, and the guy didn't even look tired, they weren't about to get on his bad side.

Entering the Wizengamot, they could see the Chamber was full already with people waiting for the trial of the decade. Everyone expected the outcome, but it was still a momentous occasion. Sirius Black was the first wizard to escape from the inescapable Azkaban.

As the defendant sat down with his two companions, the trial immediately got started with Dumbledore taking the lead. "This is the trial for Sirius Black on the account that he broke out of Azkaban and is a danger to the magical and non magical world."

Dumbledore didn't get any farther when the Queen stood and objected. "Chief Warlock, my client will receive the trial that he deserved thirteen years ago. He never received a trial for the crimes against the Potter's, Peter Pettigrew, or the thirteen Muggles. He was thrown straight into Azkaban without even a questioning."

There was mumbling in the gallery at the unexpected news. No one had realized that, but still none were ready to say anything other than Sirius Black was guilty.

Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, didn't like the direction the case was going and decided his own interruption was in order. "ENOUGH! Sirius Black was guilty of all crimes. Everyone knew that he was the secret keeper and all we found of Pettigrew was his finger. I won't have you dishonoring a war hero."

"Cornelius, you will stand down. Your government only functions because of my ancestors and their treaty. I have every right to dissolve that treaty and have you ruled under the Muggle government. Choose your words carefully, because I am not afraid of tearing that treaty to pieces. As you can see, the young wizard next to me can get in and out of anywhere, wards or no wards, so there is nowhere that you would be able to hide."

The Chamber was silent at the Queen's words. The gallery was trying to decide if she could actually do that or not, while the Wizengamot knew quite well that she had every power to do what she had said. It was something they had tried to keep secret for centuries, but that was now over with. No matter what side you were on, most wizards believed that exposure would amount to war and ultimately death. Wizards in government weren't so naïve in the technology Muggles had, as other wizards were.

Dumbledore decided to get the situation under control and try to get some information for himself. "I apologize for this bodies words Madam Queen, but I can assure you everything is under control. Sirius Black had told me himself that he was secret keeper for the Potters and all that was left of Pettigrew was a finger. It was also a time of war and just like the Muggle government, our leader has special authority in certain situations. Detaining a dangerous criminal is certainly one of them. So there was no miscarriage of justice and the trial should strictly be for the breakout of Azkaban. Now I would like to know is who is sitting beside Mr. Black?"

Before he could answer for himself the Queen once again took charge. "He is not under trial here Chief Warlock. He is only here for my protection and that of Mr. Black's. You are of course right about there not being a miscarriage of justice and that your previous Minister had every right to detain Mr. Black without a trial." She paused and certain members of the court were wondering where she was going with this. She certainly wouldn't give up a fight that easily. "What you also need to remember Chief Warlock, is that as Queen, I have power to _pardon_ anyone, whether they be magical or not."

She let that statement hang over the heads of the wizards in the court. It was clear, either give him the trial he was meant to have or have a free Sirius Black running around the streets, while they could do nothing about it. It was also clear that if she was willing to pardon Sirius Black, she was actually willing to go through with exposing their world. They only had one choice.

With a sigh Dumbledore banged his gavel and restarted the trial. "Very well your highness. You have spoken and it seems that we have little choice but to agree with your demands. I just hope this isn't a waste of time. I amend my earlier statement, this is now a trial for the betrayal and subsequent murder of the Potters, murder of Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles."

"Thank you, Chief Warlock and I would like to call Sirius Black to the chair and ask that Veritaserum be given to the accused." There was a gasp at this. They rarely used Veritaserum on any criminal, because it had to be taken willingly according to the law.

"Are you saying your highness, that the accused is willing to take the truth serum without any reservations." Dumbledore now felt a headache coming and a sense something wasn't going to end right in this trial. How he didn't see it before was beyond him, but like everyone else, he thought there was no doubt about Black's guilt. "Give the accused three drops of the truth serum. I will begin the questioning."

After Black was in the chair and his eyes were glazed over showing that the serum had taken effect Dumbledore started the questioning.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Were you the Potter's secret keeper?"

"No." Mutterings went up in the court room at the unexpected answer

Dumbledore pressed on through his own shock. "Who was the secret keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Were you ever a death eater?"

"No."

"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew and the twelve Muggles?"

"No."

"Who killed them?"

"Peter cut off his own finger, threw a reductor at a gas line and then transformed himself into a rat

so he could escape into the sewer."

There was no talking in the courtroom. Everything they had ever believed about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew had just been proven false. There were only a few people too stubborn to believe it.

"How do we know that Sirius Black hasn't found a way around the truth serum? He escaped Azkaban which is also supposed to be impossible. And where is Peter Pettigrew been hiding for the last thirteen years if he isn't dead?" A toad like woman yelled out, trying to defend her minister.

All valid questions and points and this seemed to bring the courtroom back to life. They grabbed onto any hope that they were right in their opinions so many years ago.

The Queen stood and the court fell silent waiting for her response. They wanted no reason to make her or the wizard beside her angry. "You make a good point Madame Umbridge, but I assure you my defense is yet done."

Nodding to the wizard beside her, he got the message and stood up. The room watched curiously as the man took out a small glass cage from the inside of his basilisk armor. He then waved his hand, bringing the cage back to its regular size and everyone could see a rat in it. Some people were even more confused while the smarter ones remembered the part about Pettigrew escaping as a rat. Grabbing the rat that looked like it had been stunned, he proceeded to throw the rat to the floor and before he could even hit the floor, the Lightning Wizard waved his hand and the rat started to change. Slowly the rat morphed into a man that hadn't been seen in thirteen years. All chances of the trial proving Sirius Black's guilt just went down the drain.

The trial continued and Peter admitted to everything, earning Sirius his freedom and Pettigrew was then stripped of his Order of Merlin and thrown straight into Azkaban. Sirius was awarded ten thousand galleons a year per year of imprisonment, which according to him wasn't even close to enough reparations. Sirius Black had then disappeared and no one had seen him since the trial. Many thought, and Albus agreed, that he had somehow caught up with his godson.

That was the last exciting thing to happen to the wizarding world. The Lightning Phoenix was still out gallivanting in the Muggle World, becoming more and more popular every year. His popularity had now increased in the magical world to outside the walls of Hogwarts. It was still limited to the younger generation, but if it kept up, years down the road, he would be completely accepted.

It was also rumored throughout the world, that he now had partners. No one had ever been seen with him, but the rumors were there. It was now an accepted fact that he had between two and five people helping him in his adventures.

Startling himself out of his thoughts, seeing all the first years were now sorted, the Headmaster put on his best smile and stood to make the announcements. The past couple of years may not have had any excitement, but this year was bound to be one of his best years at Hogwarts. He proceeded to explain about the Triwizard Cup, the limit on what age group could enter, and the prizes that would be awarded. He then dismissed the excited students to bed, all looking forward to finding out who their champion would be.

-JOAH ESA-

"I estimate, that we have about a minute left before the Goblet of Fire is ready!" Albus Dumbledore announced to the excited crowd.

The students were giving out last minute guesses to who the Champions would be. Albus himself, felt he knew who the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions would be, but he had no clue about the Hogwarts champion.

Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons was considered a true prodigy in magic, even the staunchest pure blood supporters, couldn't help but agree and she was a Veela. O's in all her classes since her first year, she left the rest of her year mates way behind. If the magical community believed in advancing children, like their muggle counterparts, Ms. Delacour would have graduated years ago. But, then again, maybe it was for the best. She was now able to compete in this prestigious tournament, many would die for the chance.

The Durmstrang champion would be none other than Viktor Krum, not because of any extreme talent on his part, but he was sure Karkaroff only allowed Viktor's name to be entered. The man had been boasting about his champions skill since he got off that ship.

That left the Hogwarts champion. He really had no clue. He wished it was Nymphadora Tonks, seventh year Hufflepuff, Metamorph, and the most skilled student he had ever taught. He had actually gone out of his way to actually try and convince her to join, but she would have none of it. She liked to stay out of the spotlight.

The next person Albus hoped to see was Katie Bell of Gryffindor. She wasn't far behind Ms. Tonks in skill. She had just turned 17 the day before and was perfectly eligible to enter the competition. Again, she had said no, hoping to stay out of the spotlight. Then again, he should have known. Those two girls had stayed to themselves since they joined Hogwarts. The only friends they had were each other and they seemed perfectly happy to leave it that way.

The Goblet started glowing red, breaking Albus out of his thoughts. A small, smoking piece of parchment shot straight out of the goblet into the Headmaster's waiting hand, with the first champions name on it.

"And the Champion for Beauxbatons is FLEUR DELACOUR!" Looking over to the Ravenclaw table, he saw the prodigious young Veela get up from the table, looking like she expected no less. Even Albus Dumbledore had to admit her superior attitude had gotten annoying, but it was amusing to see the other French women crying because they lost to her once again.

Looking up in time to see the second parchment flung at him, he caught it with a small jump, when it tried to evade his reach. "The Durmstrang Champion is VIKTOR KRUM!" Just like he had thought, there was no surprise from the Durmstrang students. Viktor, like Fleur, expected to be their champion. He just hoped it wasn't down to a Headmasters interference. This tournament was supposed to be for the best each school had to offer, not the most famous.

Reaching and catching the third piece of parchment, he could see the staff and students were a little more excited about who was on it. He looked down at the parchment and couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief. At least they wouldn't be completely embarrassed. Their Champion was one of the top in all of his classes.

"And finally, the Champion for Hogwarts is CEDRIC DIGGORY!" The Hufflepuff table erupted in applause, the likes not seen from them in decades. No longer was it the house of leftovers, but it now held the school Champion. The other three houses were stunned for a second, no doubt wondering how such a house could lead their school to glory, but rallied their support a moment later.

"I would like to congratulate our three Champions. It is truly an honor to represent not only our individual schools, but countries as well. I know that they will do us all proud…" And before he could continue, the goblet had once again turned red.

He was confused, a feeling that was all to common in the past few years and he couldn't help the dread that crept through him. When a fourth parchment shot out of the goblet, reactions were the only thing that allowed him to catch it. He was as stunned as any other person in the hall.

Finally getting over the shock of the moment, he looked down at the piece of parchment that was disrupting the celebrations. 'Oh no, this has to be a joke. There has to be a way out of this." Albus thought as he was panicking at what lay on the slip. There was no school name on the parchment, just the name of a wizard that wasn't even in the school.

"Albus!" Minerva startled Albus out of his temporary panic attack. He couldn't deal with the shocks anymore. It wasn't the first time that he felt he should have retired years back to enjoy his last years of life. He knew there was no resting for him though until Voldemort was finally defeated for good.

Looking around, he saw all the anxious and impatient children, along with the staff. The three Champions that had already been picked had come back out as well, to see what the hold up was. I guess it was time to shock the world. He would definitely need a headache potion tonight.

"Our fourth Champion is Harry Potter." There was no applause or congratulations. The hall was completely silent, waiting for the joke that was being played on them, because that was the only option. When it became clear, that Albus Dumbledore was not playing a joke, excited whispers soon spread like wildfire. Many people could be seen looking around waiting for the wizard to pop up from a place that he was hiding.

Harry Potter, a living legend was a TriWizard Champion. There were many theories of where he was. Being trained by the best private tutors in the world, becoming the next Merlin. In hiding, afraid of showing himself, because he is actually a squib. Some had even guessed that he was the mysterious Lightning Wizard.

The excited chatter seemed to die down when they realized that Harry Potter wasn't going to instantly materialize inside of the Great Hall. All heads turned to the one that always seemed to have the answer. Even the other two heads of their respective schools turned to Albus Dumbledore, expecting some kind of explanation.

"I don't know how this happened, but I will not rest until this situation is taken care of. As you all know, this tournament will cost a witch or wizard their magic if they don't compete after being chosen. It is clear that Mr. Potter has not entered himself in the competition, but I am not sure if that will matter to the goblet. I will make every effort to find Mr. Potter so he can compete. Now, you are all excused."

Albus then promptly left the Great Hall, forgetting that he was supposed to be there when they announced the first task to the Champions. His mind was a turmoil of mixed emotions. On one hand, he might finally get to see Harry at Hogwarts where he could try and guide him to his destiny. The world was doomed otherwise. On the other hand, Harry could be so far out of reach, that he wouldn't hear about the tournament, until he was a squib.

He had been looking for Harry for over ten years and hadn't even come up with a trace of where the boy was. He was sure Black knew, but he had disappeared as well. If Harry lost his magic, he may as well give up, since there would be nothing left stopping Voldemort from taking over the world,

He would alert the papers, hoping Harry read them and understood the situation. After that he would get to bed, so he could get started early the next day trying to fix the mess this had created. The more he thought about it the more excited he became though. He knew Harry was aware of the wizarding world, and this was likely to be in every paper across the globe. There was no way that Harry wouldn't see it and he would finally have Harry back where he belonged. 'Maybe this was a blessing in disguise'. Albus thought before reaching for the floo powder, to make some urgent calls.

-JOAH ESA-

Dinner was being served in the Great Hall, the night before the first task was to begin. Harry Potter had yet to show and there was no sign that he even would. Whether he believed the goblet couldn't be affecting him because he didn't enter it or if he just didn't get the message, they didn't know.

Many of the older students who understood the ramifications, were subdued, no doubt thinking that the boy-who-lived wouldn't be much of a wizard after tomorrow's task. The younger students, ever the optimistic group, were convinced the great Harry Potter was just waiting to make the perfect entrance. Doing it weeks before the first task wasn't cool enough for him.

Albus Dumbledore was looking older than anyone had ever seen him. No longer were they looking at the powerful man that seemed to defy age and always had a cheerful smile on his face. Albus Dumbledore had given up hope of ever finding Harry and any hope of saving the world from a monster. All his past failures were replaying over and over in his mind.

He had been up twenty plus hours a day, since that eventful Halloween night, looking for any sign of the wizarding world's savior. Just like all previous attempts, he had failed. There wasn't even a whisper of his whereabouts. In 24 hours Harry Potter would be at best a squib, at worst dead. He had given up all hope of Harry coming now, the night before the task.

Next to the Headmaster sat his second in command, Minerva McGonagall, who was in just as deep of thought as her mentor. She couldn't help but think of how she failed two of her favorite students. She hadn't protested enough about young Harry's placement with the Dursley's and that led to where they were now. Harry had run away, just to save his own life. The questioning of the Dursley's after it was found that Harry was missing still gave her nightmares and made her sick on more than one occasion. She just hoped that Harry would get the message.

Like Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick was also thinking of the son of his favorite student, Lily Evans. James Potter was talented, but was too much of a pain in the ass for Flitwick to think of him as anything other than a troublesome student. Lily, on the other hand was one of the brightest witches that he had ever taught. To think, her son was about to lose his magic, barring some miracle, brought tears to his eye's.

Severus Snape didn't quite care about the brat losing his magic. He was sure that the boy was waiting for some perfect moment to make his entrance. All Potters were the same. Arrogant, idiotic, Gryffindors. He refused to even acknowledge that he was also Lily's son or had been abused at a young age. He was a Potter and they would all be the same.

Out in the Great Hall, three students were huddled together, in deep conversation. What made the situation unique, was the people involved. Fleur Delacour, Nymphadora Tonks, and Katie Bell were all known to stay to themselves and rarely converse with others. Tonks and Bell actually spent quite a bit of time together, but it always seemed to be just studying together. Adding Fleur to the mix and you were bound to be noticed by the rest of the population.

Fleur had beautiful silver blond hair, a perfect complexion with rosy red lips and a body men couldn't help but drool over. She stood about 5'8" and held herself with grace and confidence. The fact that she could back it up with her wand work, wasn't lost on anyone.

Nymphadora Tonks was a woman who quickly gained respect in the house of badgers. For the longest time, Hufflepuff was laughed at for having the weakest students. That quickly ended when Tonks was top of every class, leaving her classmates behind. It quickly became common knowledge, even among the professors that you didn't call her by her first name, unless you wanted to be hexed. She made sure to make good on her threats as well.

She was a Metamorphagus and could change her appearance at will. After the first boy asked her to change into a muggle supermodel, also happened to be the last. He spent three weeks in the infirmary. She had three weeks of detention, but the damage was done and no one had asked again. She kept her appearance in her natural form, except for changing her hair color every day. Right now, she was sporting an emerald green color. She was shorter than Fleur at 5'6", but people couldn't help but feel like she was the predator, while they were the prey. The students quickly learned to stay out of Tonk's way.

The third member of the trio was a sixth year and just as beautiful as the other two. A brunette, standing at 5'5" with the body of a professional athlete. Playing Quidditch on the Gryffindor team was the extent of her social life. Like Tonks, her grades were well above what the teachers could ever hope of seeing from a sixth year. Unlike Tonks though, she just tended to ignore any boy that came up to her. She didn't hex them, she just proved they weren't worth her time, by not even acknowledging them. The two of them were quickly labeled as untouchable.

Why the three prettiest girls in the school were sitting together and actually looking excited for something was a mystery to the three schools and staff. Many had feelings of dread coming when they saw the wicked smiles on their faces. Many ignored them and pretended they didn't see what was going on. If they ignored them, then they wouldn't do anything to them.

The students and staff members all grew immediately silent when Albus Dumbledore stood up to his podium ready to dismiss the students. "Before I dismiss you, I would like to remind you all that the first task will be tomorrow at the far end of the Hogwarts grounds. Teachers will escort you there at half past nine in the morning. The task starts at ten. Now I would like to wish all the Champions good luck. I'm sure you…." Once again Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts was interrupted.

This wasn't a piece of parchment though, that had gained the attention of the hall. No, this was something that Albus had only seen once before and wasn't looking forward to ever seeing again. He definitely wasn't happy with this new development. All students and staff were looking up at the ceiling that showed the night sky.

Five minutes ago and the sky was full of bright stars and not a cloud could be seen. Now, clouds were moving in at a rapid pace, all converging in on one spot, right above the middle of the great hall. Sparks were jumping from cloud to cloud. If it wasn't so terrifying, Albus would be sure to say that it was beautiful. Thunder started rumbling causing the students to start panicking. Everyone could see that nothing about this storm was natural.

"WANDS AT THE READY!" Albus yelled to the teachers, only causing more panic among the students. At least none of them had left their seats. That would be total mayhem.

"Stunners only. It's the Lightning Phoenix and I want to know why he feels the need to trespass on Hogwarts grounds." The teachers instantly tensed, knowing of the rumors of the man. The students, surprisingly became calm, many waiting in excitement to see their hero.

Just like back in the Atrium, all sparks started to converge on one spot, in the middle of the storm, before it became a light bright enough, that caused everyone to look away.

**BOOM! **

Thunder so loud, many people screamed in fright. Screams started up again when a lightning bolt hit right at the exit to the Great Hall, scorching the floor.

Albus being the only one at the school who had seen this before was ready. "NOW!" Fifteen teachers all let overpowered stunners leave their wands at the spot that the lightning bolt hit. Everyone watched as they raced towards the cloud of smoke, before they dissipated into thin air a foot in front. As the cloud of smoke cleared, everyone could see two figures standing tall.

They were both dressed in battle robes, made out of Basilisk skin. The robes seemed to shimmer between the darkest black and a dark green as they blew behind them in a non existent wind. Hoods were up, so they truly looked intimidating. The one on the left was easily recognized as the Lightning Wizard. Standing at 6' 0'', he held a beautiful staff white as snow, with a huge diamond, that sparkled with energy just waiting to be released.

On his shoulder was another magnificent sight, for there was a majestic Storm Phoenix perched there. The phoenix was midnight black, with silver tips to its feathers. It was truly a creature to respect and many in the hall were awed to be in the magnificent bird's presence.

In a scabbard, on his back sat the fabled sword of Gryffindor, ready to be drawn at a moments notice. If people had doubted the rumors before now, they were all convinced now. This guy had just used unknown magic to break through the strongest wards in the world, without breaking a sweat.

The figure next to him was obviously a woman, who was only a little less intimidating. She stood tall at 5'9", with a sword on her back as well. No one doubted that she knew how to use it and weren't willing to find out.

"Is that anyway to treat guests Headmaster Dumbledore?" The Lightning Wizard spoke in a deep voice, laced with amusement.

Dumbledore was in a quandary. He didn't want to fight this man in a hall full of children. He doubted it would be over quick. He could fell the power rolling off the unknown wizard. His best option was to try and talk to him and see why he was there.

"You are trespassing sir and therefore are no guests of this school. If you could please explain your presence, we may be able to figure out a solution peacefully." Albus and the teachers still had their wands raised, ready to follow their leader's direction. It was obvious many of them were wary of facing the man though and couldn't quite hide it.

"Believe me, I was definitely invited."

Albus didn't know what to think when the man made that statement. He had a sinking feeling that he knew what this wizard was going to announce. He just couldn't figure out how it was even possible. He hoped he was wrong. "If that's the case, please enlighten us to who you are. Please remove your hood and join us for the end of tonight's festivities."

"As you wish Headmaster Dumbledore." The man reached up to his hood and what felt like minutes to the excited crowd, pulled it back.

Dumbledore couldn't hide his shock this time and stumbled backwards into the head table. He made himself feel better knowing he wasn't the only one. Flitwick had collapsed, Minerva had fallen back in her chair, and Severus brought a new meaning to the word pale.

There standing in front of them was someone they had all been looking for, for ten years. He had been right in front of them the whole time. They had just never thought to look in that direction. He had the same messy black hair that James had, that made it look like he had just gotten off of a broom. Lily's emerald eyes stared back at everyone with amusement. The one thing that was different, is Harry had a goatee, instead of James' clean shaven look.

"Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, The Lightning Wizard, Knight of the Queen, and Triwizard Champion, at your service!" Harry announced to the stunned crowd with a bow and a wink.

**A/N Let me know what you think about this story. Just a fun story I wanted to get on paper. I have three more chapters done, but I am planning on rewriting them. I was originally going to do a bunch of chapters of Harry's life before now, but I think I will do them as flashbacks as the story continues. Will hopefully get the next chapter up soon either way. Priority right now is my story 'Rise of the Potters'. **

**As I said at the beginning this isn't a smut story. It will never turn into a pure smut story, but if people want, I would be willing to throw in a few lemons here and there and put this story up on a different site as well. I won't even pretend to be good at writing lemons and am frankly terrified of doing it. If there is anyone that likes to write them and wants to do them for this story, give me a pm. I'll let the reviewers decide if I should put them in. Like I said though, it will be a small part of the story. I do think if it is done right it can add more than it subtracts though.**

**The status of new chapters is now on profile.**

**JOAH ESA**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thank you everyone for the wonderful feedback I received for the first chapter of this story. I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to anything, but the time I had any time, I wasn't sure if the reviewer would even remember what they wrote me about. I will try to get better at answering reviews.**

**One of the main questions I had from the first chapter was whether Harry was the Lightning Phoenix or Lightning Wizard. I apologize, this was a major oversight on my part while writing and obviously editing. His superhero name is the Lightning Phoenix and it will be explained where he got it in the story. I will go back and edit out wizard for phoenix in the spots I made the mistakes. Also, Harry has been away from the Dursley's for eight years, but the Lightning Phoenix has been around for ten years. Harry just started doing small things with the Dursley house as base. **

**A few people complained that Harry shouldn't have to compete if he didn't place his name in the goblet. All I have to say is this is fan fiction for a reason and I have no idea about the true laws of magic, since I have yet to meet a real wizard. Even saying that, everything that I have put into the story will be explained including the reason that Harry has to compete. **

**This story will also have flashbacks now instead of ten or so chapters of Harry's life before getting back to the tournament. I believe it should keep the story more interesting for my readers. On the downside that means I have no new chapters written for the story though and updates might be slow. **

**Albus Dumbledore is a Light wizard. Technically Harry and Albus are on the same side with the same goals. They have different ideas on how to attain those goals though and that's where they will argue and go their separate ways. I don't believe this is a bashing story. A few characters, ie: Fudge, Umbridge, and Malfoy, I will write like I perceived them in the book. Bashing, I believe is making a character into something there is no real proof for though, so hope this long Author's note clears up some questions.**

**Not a bonding story. Girls will not immediately like each other and their will be fighting over who gets to be with Harry.**

**Hope you enjoy the next chapter**

**Flashback and then back with the main story**

**Return of a Legend**

_Sept 1__st__ 1982_

"BOY! Get your ass out here!"

Dust rained down on a young messy haired boy with the shout. For as long as the boy could remember, his alarm was the screeching of his relatives. Today was a special day though and the boy, better known as Harry Potter, would be allowed outside of the house. School was starting and he would be out of his Aunt and Uncle's care for 8 hours of the day.

"Coming Uncle." The strong voice of Harry Potter could be heard as he opened his bedroom door. Saying that Harry lived in a room was laughable, as he lived in the cupboard under the stairs, but Harry had learned early on to be happy with what was given to him. The cupboard was his and no one else ever went in there.

Vernon Dursley, better known to Harry as an experiment between human and walrus gone horribly wrong, watched his nephew walk out of his meager accommodations with a big smile on his face. It was one of the things that seriously bothered the big man. No matter the punishments, Harry kept up his cheerful demeanor around the house, never letting anything keep him down. He just went about his chores and took the small amounts of food with a smile and a 'thank you'.

This more than anything pissed off Vernon and Petunia Dursley. It was proof in their eyes of the freakishness that enveloped their nephew. The boy had yet to need a haircut, with it just staying short and messy as ever. His bright green eyes were unnatural in the way that they glowed and if Vernon could admit to such things, would say that sparks could be seen dancing in his eyes. Yes, his nephew freaked the owner of the house out, but he was willing to wait and do everything he could to see that the freakishness was cleansed from the boy's body.

"You'll be starting school today with our precious Dudley and I expect you to be on your best behavior boy. I don't want to hear about any of your freakishness from the teachers. We've already told them about you and what a troublemaker you are, so don't think you can get away with anything." Vernon spoke as calmly as he could, while talking to the little freak.

A small frown was the only thing that came over Harry's face at the mention of warning the teachers. It was gone as quickly as it came and the smile was back in place. "Don't worry Uncle, I'll be on my best behavior."

"You better be or the chores you do now will be nothing compared to what you will be doing. Now Petunia was gracious enough to buy you some school clothes out of our hard earned money, for you to use. These are to be put on when you go to school and then taken off as soon as you get home. I will not have you ruining these clothes while you are doing your chores after school."

Harry's eyes lit up at the chance of getting clothes that actually fit. "Yes Uncle, Thank you Uncle! I'll be extremely careful with them."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get going. Dudley and Petunia have already left. You better not be late for your first day or you won't like the consequences." Vernon threatened before turning as fast he could to get out of the presence of his hated nephew.

Harry ran to the kitchen to get his new clothes and then to the bathroom so he had enough room to change. It felt great to have clothes that fit him for once and for a small moment, Harry felt like this was the first step to making his relatives love him. Harry wasn't stupid, he knew there was something that caused his relatives to hate him. He didn't know what it was, but he was determined to make his relatives realize he was worthy enough to be part of their loving family.

Racing out the front door with his backpack held firmly in his hand, he ran in the direction of the school. He didn't know exactly where it was, but he did know the general direction and that it was about a mile and a half away. The distance didn't bother him though, as he was finally getting past the yard of number 4.

To Harry, it felt like he was going on a real adventure, one that he had read about in one of Dudley's old novels. Yes, it was only to school, but to Harry, it was more about freedom to make friends and prove to people that he wasn't as worthless as they thought.

"Oomph!" While Harry was daydreaming, he had run right into a girl and they both went sprawling onto the concrete.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't see you there." Harry quickly apologized to the girl. She was about his age and had dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and about an inch or two taller than Harry. Harry immediately offered his hand after jumping to his feet, while continuing to rain down apologies to the girl.

The girl just stared at the offered hand, then her eye's darted to Harry's face, while his mouth continued to move. By now, his words had all slurred together and nothing he said could be understood. It was too much for the girl and to Harry's astonishment, she broke out into laughter, while grabbing Harry's hand.

"Settle down. I'm not mad." She giggled out as Harry helped her up. "No harm done. Just a few scrapes that will heal."

"Sorry again. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Harry hurried out, not quite believing that this girl could forgive him so easily.

'Obviously," the girl drawled out. "So, why were you in such a hurry that you forgot to look where you were going?

This got a small blush on Harry's face. "It's my first day at school and I guess I was just excited for it."

Giggling, the girl tired to embarrass the boy. "You're cute when you blush. It's my first day at school too. I'm Madison Summers and we just moved here from the United States about a month ago."

After his blush brightened at the cute comment, Harry was able to get himself under control. "That's so cool! I've never been outside of Little Whinging." Harry wasn't about to tell Madison that this was the first time he had been past his relatives yard. "I'm Harry Potter. Would you like to walk with me?"

"Sure! That'd be great. Who would of thought that I would have made a friend before I even reached school?"

This brought up Harry short. 'Was she a friend? Did he finally have a friend?' His relatives had always told him that no one would ever want to be friends with a freak like him. Looking over at Madison and seeing the hopeful look on her face had his heart soaring.

"Yes, it is good to have friends before school even starts. Best friends?"

A smile lit up on her face. "Yes, best friends!" And then something happened that stopped Harry in his tracks. Madison threw herself at Harry and grabbed him in a massive hug. It was the first time Harry could ever remember being hugged. Hell, it was the first time he could remember being touched. When thought came back to him, all he could think of was how wonderful it felt and immediately returned it. What neither Harry or Madison noticed was the soft silver glow that encompassed Madison's arms and the scratches that Harry had caused, slowly disappeared.

Releasing each other from the hug, Harry grabbed her hand and made his way to the school. They continued to talk about anything and everything that interested them. Madison's father had died two months previous and that's the reason she had moved to Little Whinging. Her mother was originally from England, only staying in the United States when she met the love of her life. With nothing keeping her in the U.S. except painful memories, she immediately made her way back to Britain.

Harry kept most of his life a secret, only going so far as to say he lived with his Aunt and Uncle after his parents were killed in a car crash. The walk to the school went quickly once the two children got to chatting. Finding out they were in the same class with Ms. Brown as a teacher made both children light up in smiles once again. Quickly navigating the small school, they found the classroom before anyone else. The rest of the children were outside, making new friends and saying goodbye to their parents.

"Where do you want to sit?" Harry asked his new friend.

Giving him an incredulous look, she just walked to the back of the room. "I hope you aren't one of those brainy kids. I'm not sure we will be able to stay friends if that's the case."

Harry, having gotten used to her teasing on the walk to school, didn't take her comment to heart like he would have a couple of hours ago. "I'm not sure I would be able to stay friends with someone that is as stupid as my cousin. You sure that your natural hair color isn't blonde. It would make a lot more sense if it was."

With an indignant shout, Madison jumped up at Harry and tried to tackle him to the ground. She only succeeded in pushing him back into a desk. "Take it back! Take it back before I tickle you until you pee!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" A shout came from the corner of the room. Looking up, they saw an older lady with graying hair. She had a severe look on her face, demanding answers to her question. "School hasn't even started yet and I already have kids fighting in my class."

"Sorry Ms. Brown. We were only playing around. We'll make sure to keep it outside next time." Madison answered with her head down, wanting to show how sorry she was. Ms. Brown's face softened a bit, but she still kept up her stern appearance.

"Since it is only the first day, I will allow it to go unpunished this time. Please don't let it happen again."

"Yes Ms. Brown. Thank you." Harry replied.

"Find a seat. The rest of the class should be here soon." Harry and Madison found seats in the middle of the classroom, a compromise between them. "What are your names so I can mark you off for attendance?"

"Madison Summers."

"Harry Potter."

Ms. Brown's head shot up at the mention of the name and she narrowed her eyes at the boy. "I've heard from your relatives Mr. Potter and I just want to let you know that I will not tolerate any misbehavior. I have been given permission to discipline you as I see fit."

As Ms. Brown's rant continued, Harry's eyes lowered to his desk, embarrassed with what his relatives had been saying about him. It just made it worse when he realized Madison was right there with him. When Ms. Brown finished her tirade and went to sit behind her desk, he felt the comforting warmth of Madison's hand in his. Looking up, he saw the confused face of his first friend. There was no accusation, just concern, and that lifted his spirits slightly. At the questioning look that she was giving him, he just mouthed 'later'.

Satisfied, she turned to the teacher and took her hand from his as they watched the other students trickle into the classroom. Dudley walked in with a small boy with a face that slightly resembled a rat. It looked like they were good friends already and they sat directly behind Harry.

Class went by with all the students giving introductions to the other students. Ms. Brown then went over what she expected the class to learn that year, until the first break in the day. Madison dragged Harry outside, after he seemed reluctant to leave.

When they reached the large oak tree that was bordering the school property, she forced him to the ground and then sat cross-legged facing him. "So, why was the teacher being so mean to you?"

With a sigh, knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of it and still feel like a good friend, he told her everything that he knew. "My relatives think I'm a troublemaker. They say that I take after my parents. I don't know what I've ever done, but I never seem to be able to make them happy. That's why I want to try my best in school and not get into trouble. I want to prove I am worth their time."

"I believe you Harry. Even if I didn't, what's life without a little trouble from time to time."

They just sat there and talked until break was over and the bell rang calling them back inside. They reached their seats and listened to the teacher start an introduction to their first math lesson. About a half hour into the lesson, the teacher had her back turned towards the classroom, writing something on the board, when a crumpled up piece of paper fell onto Harry's desk. Looking to his left, he saw the small smirk on his new friends face and immediately knew where it came from.

Grabbing the paper, he started to open it up when the class was interrupted.

"Yes Mr. Dursley. You have a question?"

"No ma'am. I just wanted to let you know that it's kinda hard to pay attention to your teaching when Harry is making so much noise in front of me."

Harry's head snapped up with horror written on his face to see a happy Dudley and an angry Ms. Brown.

"And just what might you be doing Mr. Potter that is more important than what I am teaching you. Give me that." She took the paper before he could even protest his guilt. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Madison shrink into her desk. That was all he needed to see that that piece of paper was not something he wanted the teacher to see.

Opening up the paper, Ms. Brown frowned down at it, before looking back up to Harry. "Think this is funny Mr. Potter. We haven't even gotten halfway through the day and you are already causing major disruptions."

"I didn't do it. It was someone else."

"And lying now too. Who gave you this then?"

And she showed the paper to Harry and the class all laughed at the drawing pictured there. This did nothing to improve the angry teachers mood. The picture was of Ms. Brown in front of a sleeping class, with wrinkles completely covering her face. The part that caused the class to laugh was her hair. It was the only color to the picture. Her hair was colored blue, but the style was what made it really bad. The front of the hair was flapping in an invisible wind, that made everyone think she was wearing a wig. It was not the most flattering picture she had ever been given, Harry was sure.

"I'm waiting Mr. Potter. Who gave you this picture if you didn't draw it?"

A glance out of the corner of his eye saw the fearful look on his friends face and he knew what he was going to do. In the end, it was a funny picture. "I did it. I apologize."

There was a triumphant gleam in the teacher's eyes and Harry knew that it meant that she now fully believed all of the stories about him. This just caused him to sag in defeat. It would be no different here, then back at the Dursley's house. Was he doomed to be hated everywhere he went?

"Detention Potter! At lunch."

This caused something to snap in Harry. He was tired of being treated the way he was, for no reason other than that they thought he was a freak. When the teacher went back to her board and the class got over their laughing at seeing a fellow classmate get into trouble, Harry glared at the back of the teacher. He didn't even mind getting in trouble for his friend, because the picture had been funny, It was all Dudley's fault, but the teacher had believed him.

Thinking of the picture, Harry continued to glare at the teacher's back. A small tingle shot up his arm, so small that it was barely noticeable, and Harry hoped with every inch of his body, that she would end up just like the picture.

Gasps of shock brought him out of his internal revenge, to look at the class to see them all staring at the teacher with their mouths open. Looking himself, he had to stop himself from doing the same thing. As one, the class turned their heads from the teacher to Harry and then back to the teacher. She was exactly like the picture. Her hair was a bright neon blue and her skin had bubbled up giving her an image of a lady twice her current age.

The teacher turned around, clearly expecting that Harry had interrupted the class once again, if the way her eyes immediately turned to him were any indication. When she saw all the class staring at her though with shock written on their faces, more specifically her hair and face. A quick peek towards her hair was all she needed to see before she started screaming.

"POTTER! WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

Stunned at being singled out for this prank, Harry tried to defend himself. "I didn't do anything ma'am. I was right here the whole time."

"DO NOT LIE TO ME! Do you take me for a fool Potter? Fix this now or I can guarantee you won't pass my class and make it into next year."

Harry was extremely fearful at this point. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know how he did what he did, but he was sure that he wouldn't be able to fix it. "I don't know how Ms. Brown. I swear I didn't do this."

Before the teacher could answer, a small breeze came in through the window and all of the blue hair fell from her head, one strand at a time. The class once again gaped at the teacher, too stunned to even laugh at the situation.

"Potter, with me now," she growled out slowly. "I will see you suspended by the end of the day. Congratulations on breaking all of the previous records."

Harry slowly got out of his desk, fear taking over , trying to comprehend what just happened and how he was responsible. What was his uncle going to say when he realized Harry didn't even make it through the first half of the first day before being suspended. He had never been hit before, but the threat was always there and for a five year old, it was enough to always keep him on his best behavior. Now, without even knowing what he did, he was going to be subject to punishment for disobeying.

With a sigh, knowing there was no way out of it, Harry replied to the glaring teacher, "Yes Ma'am." He followed the fuming teacher out of the classroom at a subdued pace, eyes looking at his shoes, class still silent with shock, all the while thinking up worse and worse punishments that would be inflicted on him when he got home.

"Sit here!" The stern teacher barked out, breaking Harry out of his morbid thoughts, only to be replaced with more dread at being at the principles office. "I'll be right back after speaking to the principle and your guardians." All Harry could do was nod before she left him alone. His mind was in such turmoil that he didn't even notice all the random students and adults snickering in the direction his teacher had just gone in.

It was only about five minutes before Ms. Brown came back out from the office, but instead of heading towards him, she completely ignored him and made her way back towards the classroom. Harry was too busy watching the strict teacher that he didn't notice a tall man come out behind her until he noticed the shadow that enveloped his small frame.

Startled, he looked up into the face of the man who was studying him. Mr. Clark, the principle of the school, had a handsome face that was accentuated with wavy black hair. The light blue eyes were calculating and if Harry wasn't so nervous, he would have seen the mirth dancing in his eyes. Overall, he came off as a patient and kind man, but able to command respect at any moment.

"Mr. Potter, please come with me. Your guardian will be with us shortly, but I would like to talk to you before she gets here." All Harry could do was nod and follow the man into his office, where he was offered a comfortable seat, straight across from Mr. Clark.

"Now, while we wait, can you tell me what happened in Ms. Brown's class? As you can probably imagine, some of what she says just doesn't seem to add up. Then again, I can't just dismiss the fact that she has lost all her hair in the matter of a few hours when she had a full head earlier in the day."

Harry just sat there staring at the man. What was he going to say. He had wished it to happen and then it just did? He would be in the loony bin before the end of the day with the Dursley's full support.

"I don't know sir. I was just at my desk when someone threw a picture they drew of Ms. Brown at me. She had blue hair in the picture and the teacher found it. She assumed it was me, since I didn't know who threw it at me. And then her hair just instantly turned blue, before falling out. I swear though sir, that it wasn't me. I was just sitting there at my desk, listening to what she was saying." Harry was near panicking at the end of his explanation, expecting to be brushed off and accused of the infraction like usual.

Before Mr. Clark could continue questioning the student, a knock sounded on the door. Looking up, he could see the angry face of an extremely thin, shallow faced woman. Getting up, he walked over to the door and let the woman in. Before he could even offer her a seat, she immediately laid into the five year old boy.

"What have you done now? Can't even go one day without causing trouble."

"Mrs. Dursley!" The principle cut her off, before she could get a full head of steam going. "I just wanted to talk about today's incident please. Ms. Brown came in this morning with Mr. Potter and immediately blamed him for the incident. When I asked for proof, she could provide none, except for a picture that could have been drawn by anyone. She also said that you and your husband have made it clear to her that this _five _year old boy is nothing but trouble and he needs a firm hand. Now, please explain to me how a five year old is able to pull off a prank of this magnitude and what he has done to warrant the teacher's watching him for the slightest things done wrong? This is a primary school and kids will be kids. I realize that this prank is way over the top, but I ask again, what gives you reason to believe that Harry here can make something like this happen?"

Mr. Clark was ranting by the end and it was clear to both Harry and Petunia that he was not amused with the accusations against the young boy. Mr. Clark was one of the administrators that truly enjoyed what he did and received satisfaction molding the minds of young children. He understood a child's attention wasn't what an adult's was and knew that you had to be a little more patient when dealing with them. The fact that this young boy's guardian called him, at five years old, a lost cause, was enough to get him extremely angry. The fact that he could do nothing about it just caused his mood to deteriorate further.

Petunia, a house wife she might have been, but was not as stupid as many would like to believe. She knew a lost cause when she saw one and her senses were screaming for her to do damage control. "I apologize Mr. Clark. My husband and I just wanted to warn the teacher that Harry here, might need a firmer hand when dealing with punishments. We just want to correct his behavior and see him as a respectable member of society in the future."

Mr. Clark studied the woman in front of him, not missing the slight look of disbelief that Harry gave her, before he schooled his features back to neutral. He wanted to believe her, but being an administrator for as long as he was, he could tell when someone was giving him a bunch of bull. There was nothing that he could do though, so he was stuck with trying to make the best of the situation and keep an eye on the young boy.

"Good! I would hate to see such a bright young lad's future gone before it began, just because no one believed in him. There is no proof that this incident was his fault and I wouldn't dare punish him without any. It is my belief that he found the picture by the person who had set up the prank and therefore was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Petunia gave a stiff nod to show that she agreed, no matter how reluctantly, with the head of the school. "Thank you Mr. Clark. If that is all, I have many things that need done." Getting a nod in return, Petunia left the room, hiding the scowl on her face.

With the guardian dealt with, Mr. Clark turned to the young boy sitting quietly in front of him. The boy had a look of astonishment on his face, likely wondering what had just happened. He had to hold back his chuckles and put on a stern expression. "Mr. Potter, what happened here wasn't a free pass to do whatever you would like. If it was indeed you that caused this prank, then be thankful that I have no proof. That being said, I do not believe that it was you and like I told your Aunt, it was likely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, with this unpleasantness over with, you should run along to lunch. Before you go though, remember I am always there if you have any problems Mr. Potter." He hoped that Harry received the hidden message, but with all that happened, it might have went over his head.

"Thank you Mr. Clark!" Harry happily said. "I promise that I'll behave and you won't regret giving me another chance." It was really sad that a five year old boy was so excited about second chances, even when he did nothing wrong on his first one. He promised himself to watch the young lad for any signs of anything untoward happening to him. Returning the smile, Mr. Clark watched the young boy practically skip out of his office.

Harry was thrilled. He had finally gotten away with something, whether he did it or not. And he just knew that he had done whatever it was to Ms. Brown. He had no idea how, but he was sure it was part of the freakishness that his relatives hated so much. He wouldn't worry about it now though. Everyone was on lunch break now and were playing outside before going in to eat.

The weather was perfect, sun shining through the cloudless sky, as Harry looked around for anyone in his class, hoping Madison was with them. He found her at the big oak at the back of the school's property with a bunch of their classmates. Well, it would be better to say she found him when she tackled him to the ground again.

"Harry!" she yelled as his shoulder hit the unforgiving ground. "You're not expelled! What happened? Ms. Brown came back with a hat on and wouldn't stop glaring at your empty seat."

By now the rest of the kids that were with Madison circled around the duo, who had yet to get up from the ground. Not that Harry hadn't been trying, but Madison had no intention of getting off, until she was sure nothing was happening to him.

"You know you should get off me and then maybe I'll be able to answer your questions." Not even looking the least bit embarrassed, Madison slowly got off of her first friend and helped him up. "Thanks!" Harry then noticed all the other kids around them and couldn't help but look curious. They all had smiles on their faces, all directed at him.

"Mate! That was awesome! How did you do it? The greatest prank I've ever seen." A short kid, Harry thought was named Terry yelled out, with all the other kids nodding their agreement.

"And how'd you get out of the principles office so soon. I thought they would have expelled you for sure, especially with how mad the teacher was." Another girl joined in, named Mary.

Harry flinched at the reminder of the teacher and how he would be back in her class in less than an hour. Looking around at the ten kids circling him, with Madison still right next to him, he couldn't help but feel excited. No matter the circumstances that brought it on, he had people that wanted to be by him and listen to him. He decided that even if it only lasted for today, he would make it count.

Harry enjoyed the rest of break with his new friends, Madison staying by his side the whole time. He neatly dodged every question of how he pulled it off, which just made them more determined to find out. He did notice that after being tackled, Madison had stayed quiet. He wasn't sure the reason, but he had a feeling she was just waiting for a chance to get him alone.

Harry made it through the rest of the day, pointedly ignoring the glares he was receiving from his teacher. Just giving a sigh at being hated by yet another adult, Harry decided to just do what he had been doing his whole life. He just needed to keep his head down and hope that the teacher decided he wasn't worth it.

As he imagined, Madison confronted Harry on their way home. "How'd you do it?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Harry tried to play ignorant, knowing it wouldn't work. He had only known Madison for less than a day and knew she wouldn't be satisfied with less than the truth. It would probably give him less of a headache.

With a sigh he explained everything he knew, which now that he was talking about was a pitiful amount of knowledge. "When the teacher didn't believe that I didn't draw the picture and then continued to yell at me, I just got so mad that I wished that the picture was true. I don't know how I did it, but I felt something tingling in me and then just wished her hair to be blue. I was as stunned as the rest of the class when it actually changed."

He finished the small explanation, looked over to his new friend, expecting to see an expression of terror on her face, but was once again surprised. She had a look of wonder on her face, like he was the coolest being on the planet.

"That is so awesome! Have you done anything like that before? Just think, my first and best friend has super powers."

Harry had to cut her off before she got too excited. "I don't think I have super powers Madison. This is the first time anything has happened that I can remember and my relatives just say that I'm a freak. What if this is just proof that they were always telling me the truth."

Madison seemed to be ignoring everything Harry was saying and continued to babble to herself. "What if you're one of those humans that is supposed to have super cool powers and be a hero to all of us regular people. I wonder what other powers you have. My dad was a big comic collector and I bet we can find a bunch of cool powers in there. I'll bring them tomorrow and we'll try them out. This is so cool! Why aren't you saying anything Harry?"

Harry was just looking on in bemusement. He, of course had heard of comic books. His cousin had hundreds of them in his room, but Harry was not allowed to look at them. Harry also wasn't quite convinced that he had any of these powers and the incident back in the classroom wasn't just a freak accident. But then again, this was the first time anyone was excited about what Harry could do and wasn't calling him a freak. This in itself, allowed him to go along with his best friend.

"Alright," Harry said with a sigh. "Bring the comic books tomorrow and we'll see if I have anymore powers. Just don't hold your breath. I'm sure I don't."

With a squeal, Madison once again pounced on Harry, this time he managed to maintain his balance. "This is so awesome! Harry Potter, superhero of Little Whinging, defeater of evil teachers, and my best friend. Just think, I could be your sidekick. Hmm, doubt I have any cool powers, but I'll find a way."

Harry could only stare at his friend in amusement. He had made it a goal out of life to make the best of any situation, but this just seemed a little far fetched to him. But then again, if it allowed him time to spend with her, who was he to complain?

"I'll only do it on one condition." Madison looked up at him, eyes dancing with joy. Harry seeing she was waiting for the terms continued. "If you're my best friend and side kick, you'll need a shorter name. Madison takes way too long to say. I'll be calling you Madi from now on."

Harry was happy with the shortened name. Madison or Madi now was not. She was currently glaring at the young boy in front of her. "You certainly will not!"

With a smile Harry just walked up to her, gave her a one armed hug and spoke. "Hey now, I'm the superhero and you're just the sidekick. That gives me privileges and I'm using one now to allow me to call you Madi."

Harry wasn't prepared for the shove that came his way. He might have been the one with powers, but it was proven that she could still take him in a physical fight. She landed on top of him and once again started tickling him.

"Take it back! There is no way I'm allowing you or anyone call me that."

With all of his effort, Harry was able to get out from under her and start running towards his neighborhood with Madi hot on his heels. "NEVER! You can't make me."

"WE"LL SEE POTTER! WE"LL SEE!" She yelled back, giving chase and giggling the whole way home.

-JOAH ESA-

_Nov. !8__th__ 1994_

"Ready Madi."

"Damnit Harry!. You know I hate that name. You better not be planning on using it at that school."

"C'mon Madi. It's a good name. Fleur, Nym, and Katie all call you that as well. You never get as mad at them as you do me for calling you that."

"We had enough problems without me getting upset over what they were calling me and you know it. I still don't think they've fully accepted what we have yet."

Laughing Harry responded to his first friend and admittedly she was much more than that now, "And the only reason you are ok with it now is because when you were thirteen you realized you found girls as attractive as guys."

Madi or Madison as she liked to be called was what muggles called bi-curious. She had yet to be with a girl and wouldn't ever be with one that Harry wasn't currently in a relationship with either. What Harry always seemed to forget was that he meant more to her than any girl ever could. She would never jeopardize anything with him to satisfy her curiosity. Now, if Nym, Fleur or Katie were willing, she would be all over it.

"Doesn't matter. None of the other girls have any other interest besides you. I keep telling them that it would help make the relationship work, but they keep denying me," Madi finished with a cute pout on her face.

Laughing, Harry quickly brought her back to the task at hand. They had plenty of time to work out relationships later. Madi and Harry were currently standing in the entrance hall of Potter Manor. He was able to gain access to it on his eleventh birthday when he claimed his lordships. It was one of the safest places in England, belonging to one of the oldest families and each generation added to the already impressive wards. Only the head of house was able to access the list of wards that were used and many of them were so ancient that they had fallen out of practice a millennium ago. Harry had yet to add his own special wards, mainly because he wasn't quite sure if it wouldn't just be overkill at this point.

The Potter's main home may have been called a manor, but it was actually a castle built back in the 400's when the Potter family was founded. It, like the wards, had been added to with each generation. Unlike many of the other wizarding families, the Potter's kept themselves current with the muggle world as well. It only started happening the past couple hundred years, when the muggle's technology allowed them to catch up with many of the wizards magic.

Courtesy of Harry's grandfather Charlus and his wife Dorea Potter _nee Black, _an entire small building was built based solely on muggle ideas. It was an entire gymnasium, which included a large in ground pool, sauna(wet and dry), and weight room which was updated when Harry moved in.

Harry had lost count of how many times he had come home to find Madison and his other girls sitting in the large hot tub. For a while, it was the only place they would act like friends. This was also the place that allowed him to learn that yes, girls and boys were different, and the girls especially liked to see him stumbling over his words with face as red as a tomato, before he would race out of the pool area with giggling following him. The bikini's were bad enough, but when they were a little older and braver, the tops would come off and to Harry's everlasting shame, it was the first time he had to be rescued in his own home, when he slipped and hit his head on the marble floor. At least the girls realized he wasn't ready for the other half of the bikini to come off or he was sure he would have made it to his seventeenth birthday.

The rest of the castle had been spectacularly kept up as well, courtesy of the Potter family house elves. The Potter family prided themselves on being the best and that included their elves as well. Wearing black suits with the Potter family crest on the right breast pocket, saw them as the sharpest looking elves in England. Having thirty of them in the castle alone allowed the Potter properties to look like they had just been built.

Keeping the 42 bedroom suites, three libraries, Master's study, along with all of the public rooms cleaned took a massive army of elves. That didn't include the extensive grounds either. Sitting on a hundred square miles, it was a huge tract of land, but in reality was a small piece of what was once part of their territory. When political climates changed and the monarchy started losing power, so did the Lord's. The Potter's title, along with every other Lord was just that, a title. All other power was lost and that was one of the major sticking points to old wizarding families hating muggles. It was the muggles that had taken away much of the Monarch's power.

The land the Potter's still owned had a large forest that many magical animals came for refuge, along with a nice river that cut right through it. The front had a cobblestone drive that led up to the main entrance. One of his relatives had a fondness for old muggle oil streetlamps and they lit the entire drive. Off to the east of the property sat an unfinished garage that was being built by his father that he wanted to keep all his toy cars in. He had yet to buy any, the war coming between him and that dream. Harry had promised to finish it for him after his first goal of ridding the world of Voldemort forever was complete.

There was so much else about the property that simply amazed him and his girls that he still wasn't sure if he had seen it all. The entrance hall where Harry and Madi were sitting right now was just as impressive as the rest of the castle. Ceiling twenty feet high, with murals of ancient battles that the Potter's had fought in painted beautifully, used to impress whatever guest decided to come over. Walls made out of a light blue marble surrounded the pair. Directly behind them and to the right of the massive oak doors sat the fireplace, if that was it could be called. Ten feet high by twelve feet wide, it just capped off the impressive room. There was no Potter portraits in the room, those being kept in the family wing, but there was plenty of pictures of their famous guests. A portrait of Merlin, Morgana Le Fey, Circe, one each of the founders of Hogwarts, and one each of the King or Queen of the time. Overall it was a most impressive display of status and did it's job when people came over to see it.

"So are you ready to return to the wizarding world Harry?" Madi asked him.

"Been waiting for this day since I turned eleven Madi. I'm finally ready though. It's time to make a change and put our names in the history books."

Harry and Madi were dressed to impress, or intimidate depending on who you asked. The dark green basilisk hide had been converted into battle robes for Harry and his four girls. The robes fit them like a second skin and allowed for superior movement when spell casting and when they were playing with their swords. The hoods had been enchanted by Harry himself to hide the face inside. Harry's robe had his symbol sewn into the back. He was done hiding and by the end of the night, everyone in the wizarding world would know exactly who the Lightning Phoenix was. The outfit was finished off with basilisk skin boots.

Pulling up his hood and giving time for his companion to do the same, Harry pulled her close, readying his staff and settled himself for the life changing moment.

"So, how are we getting there?"

Harry laughed at her, knowing full well what method she wanted to go in with. "I thought we would just sneak into the castle and show up at the Headmaster's office when everyone else is sleeping." Harry teased her, knowing she was looking forward to making a scene.

"Knock it off. We're taking the lightning and you know you want to."

"Definitely have to make an entrance. It wouldn't do for the famous Lightning Phoenix to show up in a boring manner."

"Quit talking Harry. Let's get this show on the road." If her hood wasn't shielded, it would show the annoyance that was currently on her face.

"Alright, alright. Hold on."

Madi grabbed onto Harry and held on tight. She knew very well how rough the ride was. Harry closed his eyes, brought himself into a mini meditative state and pictured the entrance to the great hall. Releasing a hold on his magic, he concentrated it into small balls of pure white energy that crackled from the inside out. About 20 small balls started circling the two of them faster and faster until the only thing that could be seen was a blurry halo circling them. The balls continued to circle for about a minute, the whole time getting closer and closer to the duo. When it finally reached them, time seemed to stop for a second as the light blinked out of existence, only to come back instantaneously, making the two look like they'd been hit by an electrical line. Electricity was running up and down their bodes, until their bodies were completely lit up. When it would have been painful for anyone watching to see, their bodies disappeared with a giant boom. The two didn't see one of their faithful companions, a storm phoenix, hop onto Harry's shoulder, looking forward to the ride.

The couple and the Phoenix ended up a mile into the clear night sky, spinning and falling, allowing gravity to do its job. Harry's magic wasn't quite through yet though and like before, small balls of energy were circling him, calling in cloud after cloud. This time the balls of energy were jumping from cloud to cloud, creating a continuous flow of lightning for the viewers below. After about sixty seconds of free falling, the balls once again converged and like before the couple lit up into a bright white ball of energy. They were gone an instant later.

Their next landing was right where they expected to be. Erupting an immediate shield after sensing the incoming spells, Harry allowed the dust to settle to look on in amusement at all of the faces in the hall. Some of them were awe filled, some full of fear, while the teachers just looked on determined. They were probably planning on how to defend the students from him.

Harry couldn't take the silence any longer, his partner fidgeting impatiently beside him.

"Is that any way to treat guests Headmaster Dumbledore?" The Lightning Phoenix spoke in a deep voice, laced with amusement.

He watched the emotions playing over the old wizard's face. It was easy to see that he wasn't quite convinced whether attacking was the best option or not. Finally Dumbledore's shoulder's relaxed, hoping to get out of the confrontation without a fight.

"You are trespassing sir, and therefore are no guests of this school. If you could please explain your presence, we may be able to figure out a solution peacefully." Albus and the teachers still had their wands raised, ready to follow their leader's direction. It was obvious many of them were wary of facing the man though and couldn't quite hide it.

"Believe me, I was definitely invited." It was the only thing the robed wizard offered in his defence, clearly amused at the teacher's battle ready stances.

If that's the case, please enlighten us to who you are. Please remove your hood and join us for the end of tonight's festivities."

"As you wish Headmaster Dumbledore." The man reached up to his hood and what felt like minutes to the excited crowd, pulled it back.

Dumbledore couldn't hide his shock this time and stumbled backwards into the head table. He made himself feel better knowing he wasn't the only one. Flitwick had collapsed, Minerva had fallen back in her chair, and Severus brought a new meaning to the word pale.

There standing in front of them was someone they had all been looking for, for eight years. He had been right in front of them the whole time. They had just never thought to look in that direction. He had the same messy black hair that James had, that made it look like he had just gotten off of a broom. Lily's emerald eyes stared back at everyone with amusement. The one thing that was different, is Harry had a goatee, instead of James' clean shaven look.

"Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, The Lightning Phoenix, Knight of the Queen, and Triwizard Champion, at your service!" Harry announced to the stunned crowd with a bow and a wink.

Harry could feel Madi giggling next to him as the whole of Hogwarts and its guests continued to stare unabashedly at the wizard before them. Expectantly, Dumbledore was the first to regain his senses and begin the questioning.

"Harry?" He timidly spoke out. Getting a nod in return, all he could ask was one thing. "How?"

"How what Headmaster? How did I become the legendary Lightning Phoenix or how did I hide myself so thoroughly from the wizarding world that not even you could find me?"

Getting a small headache and realizing that any question that he had would need way more time than what they had right now, in front of the three schools, he decided to forgo them for now. "Never mind those Harry. I would like to meet with you later to satisfy my curiosity though if you wouldn't mind?" Dumbledore clearly knew that he couldn't use his normal tactics when asking for information. This wasn't a student at school and with the rumors of what he had done going around the world, both muggle and magical, he wasn't about to be intimidated either.

"That would be fine Headmaster. Feel free to bring whoever you like to our meeting. Since the first task is tomorrow, I would think Monday would be the best day. Is that agreeable?"

Dumbledore just gave a confused nod. "That would be fine, but what about Sunday morning instead?"

The school just got a feral grin in return. "C'mon Headmaster. Since you are head of that body, I won't insult your intelligence. I plan on taking up my rightful seats on the Wizengamot on Sunday."

All the Headmaster could do was nod his agreement to the young man's plans. There was nothing he could do to keep him out of his seats and that would be the quickest way to exile himself if he were to try. The Potter's were one of the oldest families and could crush just about any other family in the government. He didn't really want to prevent him from taking his seat, he just would like some idea of where the young man stood before he took one of the most powerful seats out there.

"Very well, Monday it is. Now, it is getting late and the year is already three months into session, but I can have Professor McGonagall run up and get the sorting hat quick. I'm sure the rest of the students would be delighted to watch such an intriguing sorting. We could add your companion to the list as well."

These comments were met with amusement from Harry and loud laughing from the still unidentified woman. "Headmaster, you are mistaken. I do not belong to Hogwarts and have no plan too. You already have your Champion. As far as I am aware, I was chosen for a fourth school, therefore am independent. Unless this fourth school should come forward, I believe that I will still be on my own schedule." Some of the students and staff had deflated at this bit of news, but Harry was amused at the reaction that no doubt would occur at what he would say next. "And for my companion," he motioned for her to lower her hood, showing off a gorgeous girl with shoulder length curly, brown hair. Her bright blue eyes were sparkling with mischief and she had a small smirk on her face. "This is Madison Summers and she is a muggle and has no need to enroll in a magical school."

Harry and Madi had to hold in the laughter that had threatened to break out at once again stunning the students and staff speechless. After one thousand years, the castle had its first muggle inside it. The school didn't know that this wasn't the first time she was here, but then again they didn't need to know that either. Even Dumbledore was in a state of shock. Here was something that went completely against what he had planned on achieving. He had nothing against muggles and truly thought himself a champion of them, but he believed that the safest way for them to coexist is strong secrecy between the worlds. Now, Harry or the Lightning Phoenix had started to breach the worlds ten years back, and even brought a plain muggle into his castle.

Surprisingly, Dumbledore was not the first one to break out of his stunned silence. It was none of the other teachers either. It was a group of three girls sitting by themselves at one of the tables. They were three of the most gorgeous girls one could lay eyes on and they were currently applauding Harry and his companion.

Not caring that all eyes were on them, Fleur Delacour, Katie Bell, and Nymphadora Tonks sauntered their way up to the famous wizard. Then to further shock the crowd into complete silence, each one rose up and gave Harry a peck on the lips and a hug. Three girls that were considered untouchable and who many thought would never give any man a chance, suddenly had things click in their heads. They already had their man and not only was it the same one, but it was the mysterious Lightning Phoenix. After greeting him, they all stood beside him, looking out over the crowd enjoying the chaos they had all caused.

Madi couldn't help herself and had to get in on the fun, spoke to the three girls that just came up. "What? No hug or kiss for me? I thought we were all in this together?"

The reactions for the five of them were expected, but the rest of the schools could only stare at the show that was going on in front of them. Tonks just chuckled at the girl, knowing that she would never give up. She had no interest at all in other girls, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy teasing her friend. It was fun to see her flustered.

Katie, of course, just ignored her, besides a small glare. She liked the other girl and they were good friends, but she just didn't have any interest in the same sex and didn't feel like encouraging the girl like Nym did.

Fleur though, she was the one who truly interested Madi. Not because she was more beautiful then the other girls, because they were all equally stunning, but she would always blush and mumble something before turning away from her. Whether it was her Veela nature or her own curiosity, Fleur reacted to the flirting far more than any of the other girls and it amused all of them. It was the consensus that if any of them fell for Madi's charms it would be the part Veela.

There was one Professor at the table having flashbacks to his younger years and they weren't something he was enjoying reliving. When it came between a Potter and a Snape, there was only so much time that one of them could go without sniping at the other. Seeing four girls draped all over the son of his greatest nemesis, three of them being the smartest girls the schools had to offer and one of them being a muggle was enough for Snape to lose it.

Standing up and not afraid to show his full fury of the situation Snape bellowed at the unexpected guest. "POTTER! JUST AS ARROGANT AS YOUR FATHER! He was always strutting around here too with girls always hanging off his arms. It's amazing to see you have even exceeded his arrogance, by having 4 women. Potter's always believing they have the right to anything they want." Spittle was flying out of his mouth by the time he was done.

The sound of Snape berating someone brought many people out of their shock and they all watched on with interest at what Harry would do. Would he smite the evil Potion Master down with a bolt of lightning or would he challenge him to a duel of honor with the legendary sword of Godric Gryffindor?

Many were surprised to just see a smile on the man's face. Snape, not used to kids showing amusement when he showed his fury, started gaining more and more red to his face as he was ready to explode.

"Let's see. Enough grease in his hair to heat a room for the winter, pale enough skin that many believe his mother mated with a vampire, hooked nose and following muggle gothic fashion trends when it comes to clothes." Harry was speaking to himself, giving himself all the clues to figure out the identity of the accuser. "Ah, I know. You must be Severus Snape. I didn't quite think those features would be quite so accurate." With that he had effectively ignored Snape, or at least in Harry's point of view he had.

"And I expect that," Snape growled, "that mangy mutt you call a godfather told you all that. That just shows how childish him and your father's friends were."

"Actually sir," Harry continued in his ever polite voice, "but that was the opinion of these two lovely ladies." He pointed out Nym and Katie, who looked wholly unconcerned with the ramifications of their words. "My godfather on the other hand had a very different opinion of you."

"Well, don't keep us waiting." Snape sneered, "what did Black in his wisdom have to say about me?"

"He told me to look out for the school employed death eater. He would be easy to spot, as he would be the one that had his tongue up the Headmaster's ass. How else would the man stay out of Azkaban prison without even a trial while Sirius didn't even have a dark mark and was sent there without a trial. He also told me exactly who was the one who set Voldemort after my parents or more specifically me. Lusting after my mother was the only thing that brought you back to the light side. Tell you what sir, if it meant my mother being alive and having to be with someone like you, I'm glad she's living peacefully in the afterlife."

Stunned silence met Harry's words. Snape and Dumbledore had both gone pale at the revelations. They were both sure that Harry knew much more than he just told. Many of the staff and students were looking at the Potion's Professor with disgust at what he had done to their hero. The closest staff, being Rubeus Hagrid and Filius Flitwick were edging their chairs away from him, hoping not to get caught in the cross fire. Snape was back in his seat and didn't look like he would be saying anything for a while, but Harry had one more thing to say.

"Now, this is from me, from just being around you since I've been here. I wonder how long your father had to jerk off into a flower pot to raise a blooming idiot like you?" Ignoring the snickering going up around him at the expense of the sour man, Harry looked around before speaking. "Does anyone else have anything negative to say to me before I retire for the night. I came here because my name came out of the goblet of fire. As you all know, I was not here that night, so I answered the wizarding world's pleas to return. I did not come here to hear insults about my dead parents." It was clear to see they had now pissed off the wizard and he was showing why he had built up his reputation. His staff was glowing, Phoenix on his shoulder was alert, looking for any untoward movements, and he had an aura extending from his body of pure emerald green. Looking like he did, there was only one wizard stupid enough to get into an argument with him.

"You will not insult my godfather Potter. I don't care who you are, but you will rue the day you messed with one of the Malfoy allies." Of course the school knew Draco Malfoy would have to put his foot in his mouth. The hall waited for the inevitable to happen.

"Malfoy?" Harry spoke in a questioning voice. Getting a sneer and a nod in return, Harry's attitude changed completely from the pissed off wizard of a minute ago. "How great it is to meet you Draco. I've been hoping for this chance for five years." Harry had a big grin on his face and excitement was leaking out into his voice. Draco on the other hand was pleased to see that someone knew who was important, namely him, while the other staff and students looked on in confusion and some cases horror.

Walking over to Draco, who was in the middle of the aisle between two of the tables, he put his arm around the slick haired blonde. "Tell me Draco. How does it feel to be the son of the finest MILF that I have ever seen?" And with that one sentence, everyone knew what was happening. Harry didn't even have to look around the hall to know that pure-bloods were finding out from the muggle raised what the term meant. "I'm glad she isn't my mother. I don't know if I would be able to keep my hands off her, taboo or not. She is just too fine a piece of ass to lay off of. You, my friend, can invite me over to my house any time."

Before the red faced Draco could even respond a voice that no one expected to hear came from the entrance. "Why Harry dear, you only have to ask and you are welcome in my house anytime."

"Mum?" Draco weakly spoke. There standing in the entrance hall was Narcissa Malfoy, dressed in a beautiful dark blue robe. A beautiful aristocratic face, with straight blonde hair that reached halfway down her back. Blue eyes were set in one of the faces of true beauty in wizarding upper society.

"Go back to your table Draco. Mr. Potter and I have some business we must be seeing too."

"Why Narcissa, you are even more beautiful in person. You have just proven God exists, because you my lady must be an angel fallen from heaven."

Blushing Narcissa walked right up to Harry. Everyone in the hall was too stunned to even blink. "Thank you Harry dear. You know just what to say to me." In a stage whisper that carried clearly in the large hall, Narcissa spoke into Harry's ear. "If you're lucky, Madi looks like she would enjoy some time with us as well. I'm always up for some exploring."

With that Harry had had enough and he closed the remaining gap between the two before pulling her into a steaming kiss. Draco fainted. Everyone, teachers included were too stunned to notice that where Harry was standing before, there was one less girl, while the rest were giggling into their hands.

Finishing the kiss, everyone in the hall looked upon the image of Harry and Narcissa, except it wasn't Narcissa anymore. Harry and Tonks were now leaning their foreheads on each other with small smirks on their faces. "There you go love. Now, I don't want to hear anymore about any Malfoy's." Taking her hand and making their way back to the other girls, leaving a passed out Draco in the middle of the hall, Harry once again found his way into the middle of them.

Looking back up at the head table to see many dumbfounded expressions and a few like Hagrid laughing at the prank pulled. "Anything else Headmaster, otherwise my lovely ladies and I would like to get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day after all."

With a weary sigh, the Headmaster shook his head. "No, Mr. Potter, that is all I need for the night. We will need to speak soon though and I imagine I don't have to say it, but please refrain from any untactful pranks in the future. And I am sorry, but Ms. Delacour, Ms. Tonks, and Ms. Bell cannot stay with you for the night. It is against school policy and the only reason I am allowing Ms. Summers to remain with you is because I have no where better for her to go at the moment. That is another thing we will have to talk about soon. It is a blatant act against the secrecy of our world to bring a muggle into the castle."

Harry just waited patiently for the Headmaster to finish. "You act like I care Headmaster. Believe me, I have all the power I need to have Madi with me at this time and even if I didn't, you would risk alienating me from wizarding Britain forever. Good luck trying to explain that to the people. And as far as Fleur, Nym, and Katie go…" Harry didn't say another word. With a swish and twirl of his cloak, the five of them were gone in a cloud of smoke.

A spell had left one of them as soon as Harry had started twirling and it shot up to the ceiling of the Great Hall. Words started snaking out across the enchanted ceiling. In killing curse green lettering, the lines started forming into the words 'THE MARAUDER'S RETURN PRESENTED BY THE LIGHTNING PHOENIX'.

With Harry and his girls gone, talk quickly picked up in the Great Hall. The Headmaster and some of the senior staff, mainly the ones that were close to Harry's parents had yet to process all that just happened. Draco was still passed out with his two bodyguards trying to revive him. Maybe the greatest reaction sat at the Gryffindor table.

"Fred!"

"Yes George!"

"I think it may be time to give up the ultimate past time."

"Blasphemy! You can't mean pranking?

"Of course that's what I mean." George yelled at his twin. "That guy just came in here and in one hour pranked the entire school eight different times. He even caused Malfoy to pass out."

"Yah, I see your point. That prank alone was greater than anything we have ever pulled."

"And just think," George said with a dreamy sigh. "He has the three hottest girls in the school."

"And that muggle isn't anything to sneeze at either. NO! I won't let us give up. This is our dream and we will overcome this setback."

"You're right Fred. We can't compare ourselves to the son of a Marauder. Harry Potter is clearly a God amongst mere children."

"Agreed. I say screw Merlin. He has nothing on Harry Potter."

"Righto brother. Praise Harry Potter!"

**A/N Alright! Finally another chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Either way, hit me up with a review. Next Chapter has the first task and we should introduce Katie with the flashbacks. Flashbacks will be important to the story, especially later into it, so please don't skip them. I promise to make them as interesting as possible. **

**JOAH ESA**


	3. The First Task

**A/N I own nothing!**

**I know everyone hates authors notes, but just a quick clarification. The 'flashbacks' aren't flashbacks in the normal sense. They are more just a continuation of Harry and the girl's early life. The 'flashback' might not and probably has nothing to do with the current chapter. **

**I'm also not British, so I apologize if I screw something up. I did do research, but couldn't find everything I wanted to.**

**UPDATED TIMELINE OF EVENTS** (notice: differ from canon)

**Feb 11****th**** 1977- Nymphadora Tonks birthday**

**May 23****rd**** 1977- Madison Summer's birthday**

**July 31****st**** 1977- Harry's date of birth**

**Oct 30****th**** 1977- Katie Bell's birthday**

**Oct 31****st**** 1978- Harry's parents die and Voldemort is temporarily defeated**

**Sept 1****st**** 1982- Harry's first day of primary school and the day he meets Madison Summers. Also, the day he first realizes the powers he has.**

**1984- The Lightning Phoenix starts to make appearances in the muggle world. Largely believed to be a myth.**

**1986- The wizarding world discovers Harry's disappearance. Albus Dumbledore is largely blamed for their hero's abuse at the hands of muggles. **

**1988- Harry Potter fails to show up for his first year at Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore hides the Philosophers Stone in the school.**

**Sept 1****st**** 1988- The Queen announces to the wizarding and muggle worlds the Lightning Phoenix.**

**June 1989- The Lightning Phoenix steals the Philosophers Stone after defeating the possessed Quirrel.**

**July 1989- Albus Dumbledore tries to convince wizarding world of the Lightning Phoenix's theft, before Flamel makes a showing with the returned stone.**

**June 1991- Sirius Black escapes Azkaban. Queen demands for Wizarding world to cease attempts at finding Black, stating he was in her control. Queen also demands that Black is given a trial.**

**July 1991- Trial for Sirius Black. Also the first appearance of The Lightning Phoenix as he stands bodyguard for Black. Black is exonerated after Veritaserum and showing Pettigrew is still alive. The Queen also reminds the wizards who ultimately has the power over them.**

**June 1993- Monster in Chamber of Secrets is defeated by the Lightning Phoenix after Ginny Weasley is taken. The Lightning Phoenix leaves the Chamber open with a note for the Headmaster. He then takes all valuables from the Chamber including the Basilisk, by right of conquest.**

**Oct 31****st**** 1994- Harry Potter's name comes out of the Goblet of fire. **

**Nov 18****th**** 1994- Harry Potter makes his appearance in the Great Hall of Hogwarts as the Lightning Phoenix.**

-JOAH ESA-

**The First Task **

The day of the first task brought an unusual sight to the millennium old castle. The air was thick with anticipation, students running around earlier than ever before on a Saturday. Very little of the excitement had anything to do with the long anticipated first task though. The students had been largely in shock the night before, when Harry Potter made his spectacular debut back into the wizarding world. With a night to recover, the students and staff were excited to see what the boy-who-became-legend could do.

Seven in the morning and all students were already impatiently waiting for the person of interest to arrive. It didn't matter that he didn't have to be there until eleven, when the task was set to start. Everyone was watching the doors with interest. Food had long been forgotten on the tables in favor of excited gossiping, now that many realized that Harry Potter and the Lightning Phoenix were the same person.

The students hadn't failed to notice all the extra guests at the school either. Whether they were there for the tournament or Harry Potter had yet to be determined. Even with the slow communication owls provided, the appearance of Harry Potter had to reach the whole of Britain in record time.

Reporters, government officials, Lords and Ladies were all gathered around ready to sink their claws into the mysterious wizard. Anyone who thought they had a right to be there was waiting and trying to get into the castle. Even the common wizards and witches had shown up in mass and were waiting at the castle gates just to get a glimpse. They conveniently chose to ignore the fact that Harry Potter and his guest went right through the wards the night before into the Great Hall. They either ignored it or just assumed it was a fanciful tale.

The school and ministry officials directly involved in the tournament were second guessing the decision to have half the seats in the tournament be first-in, first-serve. The stands were built to seat ten thousand guests and the first five thousand were immediately reserved the day after the unlikely Champion selection. The choice to make it first-in, first-serve was to give the more common people a chance to enjoy the show. Now, it looked they would have a riot from all the people that weren't going to be allowed in.

All the attention was focused solely on one individual who had yet to show up. The expectations and excitement at how he would dazzle the crowd was enough to make most forget that he was a seventeen year old wizard. Harry Potter had put himself on a different level the night before and with his actions the last ten years. The show he would have to put on today to appease the crowd's expectations would have to be nothing short of amazing. The crowd was expecting to see magic never before seen and wouldn't be satisfied unless they got it.

-JOAH ESA-

With a small pop, a door materialized out of the castle wall and immediately opened up to show five individuals. In the front stood the person who everyone in the castle was currently waiting on. Behind him stood his four biggest supporters, Katie Bell, Madison Summers, Nym Tonks, and Fleur Delacour. All held their heads high as they marched through the castle to the pandemonium they were sure awaited them.

Harry was in the lead with a royal blue uniform on, specifically designed by the Queen's staff for this occasion. He had the monarch's seal on his right breast, showing the world exactly who he was representing in the competition. The Potter crest was worn with pride on his sleeves. Honours, Decorations, and Medals covered his left breast with the Knight Grand Cross displayed prominently for all to see. The back of his uniform displayed for the world to see, the Lightning Phoenix symbol he had come up with so long ago. It was still one of the proudest moments of his life when he decided to use his powers to better the world.

Of course underneath the standard royal uniform was a more comfortable version meant to help him when it came time for the task. The uniform he wore now was for one purpose. It was meant to impress upon the people who had his allegiance and show them he had earned everything that was given to him. The girls also found him in a uniform incredibly attractive and who was he to complain about the rewards.

Madison, Katie, and Tonks were all wearing dark green dress robes with Harry's Lightning Phoenix symbol on them, showing exactly where their support was. Fleur, a Champion herself, wore the uniform that was picked out for her by her Headmistress. Dark blue pants with a crème shirt that had gold lines crossing to form a diamond pattern. There was also a thin coat to go over the top until the task started. The sleeves were the same dark blue as the pants, while the actual body was white with her name printed over the left breast in a fancy calligraphy. The back had the Beauxbatons crest displayed proudly.

Reaching the doors to the Great Hall, their ears were assaulted with noise beyond the echo of their footsteps on the stone floor. There was no illusion as to why everyone was still in the hall at nine in the morning. Harry Potter was well aware of his status in wizarding society, even if he had yet to fully embrace it. The fact that he had just admitted the night before to being a vigilante, whether it was sanctioned by Her Majesty or not, and acting blatantly against the statute of secrecy that had governed the world for centuries. This meant the government and likely a lot of former Potter allies would be firmly against him when it came time for him to take up his own place and start spreading his own agenda.

Stopping outside the doors, Harry looked over to his companions, more to give himself time to compose himself than the girls. He wasn't nervous about dealing with all the people, but he knew that it would take some time before people would come to terms with him being back. He doubted that he would get any time to himself for the foreseeable future. The night before he had gone in for the shock factor and was out as quickly as he came, before anyone was able to even question him. His life as a secret super hero was at an end and he would admit that he was going to miss pulling one over on the wizarding world.

"C'mon Harry." Madi spoke to Harry as she reached for his hand. "If they annoy you too much, just hit them with lightning."

Laughing, Harry looked over at Madi with a grin. "Thanks Madi. Just more upset at losing my secret identity then I expected to be. Even though last night was fun. I didn't know it was possible to petrify a whole hall of people."

This got grins from the rest of the girls. The looks that had been on the sea of faces the night before had been funny to look at.

"Ready?" Harry asked. Getting nods in return, Harry turned to the door and pushed them open, not really knowing what to expect after everyone had a night to adjust to his presence.

As the doors opened agonizingly slowly, heads whipped around in the Great Hall with hope written in their features. Silence descended upon the expanded hall as Harry and his companions came into view. It seemed as the people just thought they had overcome the night before, because no one seemed ready to speak. Students and adults alike just stared.

Harry started to become uncomfortable with the blatant staring. He had expected the people to start shouting, making demands, or if he was lucky, praising him for how awesome he was. Well, it looked like he would have to start the conversation.

"Hello!" Harry felt a little awkward starting a conversation with at least a thousand people. He really hoped someone got the courage to speak soon or he might just have to leave and only show up for the tasks themselves.

Harry finally got his wish and someone responded to him, if not the way he was hoping or expecting. His return 'hello' was in the form of three stunners, a body bind, and four _incarcerous's_, all one after the other from the same person.

Having advanced magical training since he was nine, Harry was always ready for an attack, but even he was surprised at one happening in the current setting. That didn't stop him from whipping out his wand and raising a high powered shield covering him and his companions. It was high powered mainly because of the area it covered. It was actually weaker than the standard _protego_, but seeing what spells were being sent, he wasn't too worried about anything getting through.

Pinpointing where the spell was coming through in such a mass of bodies was difficult, but not impossible. Catching sight of the perpetrator, Harry went into full attack mode. Sending his own volley of body-binds along with an _accio, _the assailant was quickly put down. The whole time, the crowd had yet to move and Harry was really thinking about just walking out on them. Ignoring them for now, he moved quickly to the prone figure on the ground. The man who was considered one of the greatest Aurors in history was laying frozen on the ground, crazy eye spinning wildly, and a fierce glare on his face. Whether that was for being beaten or the wooden leg that was no longer attached from Harry's summoning charm, was yet to be seen.

Standing over him, Harry tried to give his fiercest look, but couldn't hold it in for long, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE Alastor! What would your proteges think when they realize you've been beaten by a teenager." Harry finished with a grin as he quickly released the man.

Many in the hall were once again going through a wide range of emotions as they watched their once again hero get attacked by one of the Light's strongest supporters, put him down with minimal effort and then laugh about it. It didn't look like anything was going to get done that morning either. Just to cap it off, they watched Harry reattach the leg and then pulled him up into a big hug.

"Always testing me Alastor? You haven't been my mentor since I was fourteen."

Moody just huffed, not relenting in his glare, "And you let me get off seven spells before putting me down. It seems to me like you are getting worse without my guidance."

Rolling his eyes at the ever vigilant man, "I wouldn't talk old man. Who had to bail you out of trouble before school started? Maybe you need to take the Harry Potter course of protection. I remember the day when no one who had harmful intentions could get within a hundred meters of you and now they are inside your house and you need a _'snot nosed brat' _to save you."

"I was perfectly fine on my own Lightning. I didn't need you or anyone else pulling stupid heroics. I think you are letting your ego get to you. Go back to the muggle world and save the little girls who lose their cat up a tree."

The whole time Harry and Moody were having their _bonding _moment, no one noticed the approach of one individual until he interrupted them. "So sorry to interrupt the reunion gentlemen and let me say welcome back Mr. Potter, but we do have business to attend to." Headmaster Dumbledore spoke in his friendly manner. Only his eyes spoke of how annoyed he was at realizing Alastor had known where his lost charge was for years. "And Alastor, I believe we need to have a discussion later."

"Can it Albus! It was a state secret and to be honest, just because we are friends doesn't mean I answer to you." Dumbledore obviously didn't want to have this conversation in the hall and gave a quick nod and quickly moved on. It didn't take the brightest student to realize the conversation was not over though.

Turning jovial, Albus spoke directly to Harry, "So glad you could make it early Harry, as we haven't had a chance to do the wand weighing for you yet. Its an essential part of the tournament, making sure that all wands are in peak condition. It wouldn't do for your wand to cease functioning in a deadly task."

Harry just nodded along waiting to be shown where to go. "Lead the way Headmaster. It seems like everyone is eager to get started," pointedly looking at every eye waiting on them.

Dumbledore just motioned for Harry to follow him and they made their way over to a corner where a small table was set up with an old man behind the desk. The man was odd, even by magical standards. He had glowing grey eyes, a look of immense excitement on his face, as he waited to inspect the wand.

"Before we get started," a reporter spoke up from near the table. "I'm sure the readers would be curious to why you even have a wand. The rumors going around is you have a staff and if you can channel magic through a staff, why would you have a wand?"

Harry just looked at the man, then allowed his eyes to wander around the rest of the reporters who were all eager to get the answer to the same question. As far as they knew, no one had been powerful enough to use a staff in at least 800 years. Finally looking into the eyes of the master wand maker, Harry and Ollivander shared an amused look, before finally breaking out laughing. Even Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle softly along with them. The reporters and most of the audience couldn't help but stare bemused at what was going on. To them it was a perfectly valid question.

"Would you like to take this one Mr. Ollivander?" Harry asked after getting his laughter under control.

"Of course Harry and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Derrick." Ollivander stood from his small chair, looking over at the disgruntled mass of faces, with a serene smile on his face. He then started lecturing to the audience on his favorite subject. "Staffs are just another form of focus for ones magical potential. They are no more powerful then a wand or a focus ring or any other focus you can think of." Looking back at Harry, "Can you get your staff out Harry?"

Getting a nod from Harry, Harry reached behind him and pulled the staff out of what must have been an enchanted holder. The staff was bone white, had a huge diamond on the top that crackled with energy when being held by the wizard. There was also a gold inlay into the wood, that on further inspection proved to be runes. Only the Runes masters knew what they meant.

"Now Mr. Potter, shoot a stunner at the wall with your wand first and then one with the staff."

Harry taking his wand, pointed it at a particular target in the stone wall, and let loose a stunner. It sizzled with energy as it flew by the crowd and hit exactly where he was aiming leaving a small scorch mark. Putting his wand away, Harry grabbed the staff and let loose another stunner. To the surprise of the crowd, it looked exactly like the first. It still sizzled with energy, but it left the same mark as the first.

"Now give your staff to the lovely Ms. Delacour if you would." Handing it over to Fleur, she then demonstrated her own stunner to the shocked crowd, disproving that only a ridiculously powerful wizard could use a staff.

"Then why don't we all use staffs if they can be used by anyone?" The same reporter asked.

"Simple," Ollivander explained. "Staffs were created 1500 years ago, because they didn't have the knowledge to craft wands. Wands are the same thing as staffs, just compressed into something more easily used for the average wizard. Just think about being in the middle of a battle and trying to do the standard wand movements with a six foot staff instead of a twelve inch wand. What would work better? It is true that a staff will last longer before burning out due to the crystal, but the amount of magic that would have to be used for such a long duration, I don't see even Mr. Potter being able to achieve. To finish answering your question, staffs have and always will be a first attempt and rather crude one at that, at a magical focus."

The crowd sat stunned as they had life long beliefs shattered. Telling their kids, 'You're gonna be so powerful you need a staff,' didn't sound like quite the reassurance to their scared children anymore.

"But, why does Mr. Potter have a staff then if its useless?" The same reporter spoke up once again, hoping to find a hole in their words.

"Because it looks badass." Harry deadpanned to the audience, who just stared back at him unsure how to take that response. At least the students chuckled a little bit, knowing how awesome it was to be _badass._

Chuckling, Dumbledore decided to get everything back under control. "Alright, if everyone is agreeable, we still need to get the wand weighing finished before the task."

Sitting back down in his chair, Ollivander asked for Harry's wand. "Yes, I remember this wand well Mr. Potter when you came to get it six years ago. You were well on your way to harnessing your magic without it, but again wandless magic and wand magic are completely different. Focuses allow us to channel our magic into specific spells. Wandless magic is just forcing your magic to act upon your will. There are no spells to distinguish what is happening when using wandless magic."

Getting another laugh from Harry, "I know, everyone seems to think I shoot multicolored bolts of light out of my finger tips." The crowd turned red at this, many had thought that was exactly how wandless magic worked.

"The core in the wand shapes your magic into what is desired and leaves a residue that creates the color that we all associate with spells. You, Mr. Potter could banish someone with your wand which creates a pale blue light for your enemy to see or you can use your wandless ability and it would just be a wave of energy. Still detectable by the skilled magician, and much less controlled, but in many instances, much more effective."

Harry just nodded along, getting this lecture before and knowing it was Ollivander's way of finally being able to share his passion with the world.

"Now, enough of that. Your wand, the Anadenanthera tree, from the South American Rainforests, 13 inches. The tree of Knowledge and I can see you are still learning everything you can find, just like when I first met you eight years ago. Core of a griffon feather, one preserved in your family manor, from one of your ancestors familiars. Tell me Mr. Potter, give in to an old man's curiosity. Have you taken any more familiars besides the lovely Levina?"

Harry blushed at the twinkle in the man's eyes. Levina was his storm phoenix that came to him when he was younger, at a time that he was obsessed with lightning as his other name would attest to. Levina was another name for lightning and at the time it seemed like the perfect name. Now that he was older, he wished he could have come up with something cooler than Lightning Phoenix. As much as he cringed at his unoriginality of his hero name, he still thought Levina was a good choice.

"Stuff it you walking corpse. Levina is a lovely name and no, I have not found any other familiars. There are many creatures that roam the Potter lands, but none are willing to give me more than a passing glance."

"Oh! Well, that is certainly disappointing. I was expecting you to have at least two by this point."

It is well known and one of the few things that can be taken as fact in the magical world. Creatures are attracted to power and the more magical familiars one has, the more magical power should be at their disposal. There is no way to actually measure a person's core. That is why many believe Merlin was the most powerful wizard of all times. Many historical documents have him being the master of nine magical creatures, with one even being a dragon. The founder's each had three familiars, while the current Headmaster and his nemesis Voldemort each has one. No one else in Britain currently had a magical familiar. Across the world though many could be found with one. To the world's knowledge though, no one had currently more than that. Combined with his knowledge and the fact that Headmaster Dumbledore's familiar was a very rare Phoenix, the world had pronounced him the most powerful wizard of the times. It was likely true with his 110 years of knowledge. Being a wizard of his power meant he was still in his prime.

"As long as it's something cool, Mr. Ollivander. The last thing I need is to have a Kneazle as a familiar. Nothing would destroy my reputation faster than having a cat trailing after me as I fight my battles." Harry stopped to shudder at the thought. No, he was definitely not a cat person.

Amused at the man in front of him, "Fair enough Mr. Potter. Now, I think we have taken enough of everyone's time. We only have an hour before the task starts and I assume you would like some time with your lovely ladies."

"Thank you Derrick. You mustn't stay a stranger. Come by anytime."

"Will do Harry. Will do."

Harry turned around to see reporters scribbling furiously on their parchment and the rest with the same attention on him as when he entered the hall. Then as one everyone exploded into action.

"How'd you become so powerful?"

"When did you decide to become the Lightning Phoenix?"

"Do you care that you are about to end the secrecy between the magical and muggle worlds?"

"Why didn't you come to Hogwarts when you were 11?"

"Will you marry me?"

"Can I be part of your harem?"

These were some of the questions being shouted at the young man and he wasn't quite sure how he was going to get through them to the other side of the hall without using magic. And then a savior came. Just in time, because Harry could see the Minister trying to make his way through the crowd with his trusty _advisors._

"HARRY POTTER! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO WAIT FOR ME BEFORE HAVING ALL THE FUN." A voice shouted over everyone else, quieting them, no doubt using a _sonorous _charm.

"YOU WERE LATE PADFOOT!" Harry shouted just as loud back. There in the entry hall stood his godfather, the man he had rescued three years previous, standing next to a beautiful black haired woman. She looked to be in her mid thirties and was clinging to Sirius with a look of wonder crossing her beautiful face. Light blue eyes were mesmerized at the scene playing out in front of her.

Making his way through the crowd Harry embraced his godfather. "Good to see you Padfoot! How come you were late?"

"Well, you know women? Obviously not as thoroughly as me, but seeing as you have four at once, you have enough knowledge for this." Then as if telling a big secret that no one knew, he leaned into stage whisper to Harry, "They take bloody forever to get ready! I waited for two hours before she came out of that stupid bathroom."

"Oh knock it off Sirius. Who was in the bathroom for the two hours before me? What was it you kept telling me? Oh yah, I can't have my godson showing me up all the time. It isn't fair that he has 4 women and I only have one." By this point, the unknown women was glaring at the sheepish Sirius. Harry was chuckling at the usual antics of his godfather.

"What do I keep telling you Padfoot? It's just my natural charm. These lovely women," acknowledging the girls that had yet to leave his side, "fight over me and who am I to deny them?"

This was followed by a smack to the head by Katie. "Don't let that ego inflate your head any more Harry, I don't believe the four of us will be able to keep you from floating away."

Ignoring the girls glares into the back of his head, Harry continued his conversation with his godfather. "Remember what I told you though Padfoot…..I know how sentimental you can get…..There's only one fool proof method that guarantees your girlfriend will stop having sex with you."

Sirius rolled his eyes at Harry's favorite saying, but didn't want to steal the young lads thunder, since he no doubt thought it was educating the masses. "And what would that be Prongslet?"

With a big grin on his face, "Why, marry her of course!"

No matter how bad it was, Sirius couldn't help but bark out a laugh, causing the people around to slightly chuckle as well. It was worse than the serious, Sirius joke, but it was something the Marauders had lived by in their early school days hoping to never get too attached to one person. Harry, now took any chance to laugh at how attached he was with his new girl.

Before the girls could get a chance to show their displeasure at Harry once again, an old voice interrupted them once again. For some reason they never saw the humor in the little joke.

"As amusing as this all is, we really do have a task that must be seen to." Dumbledore spoke as he motioned for them all to follow him to the area. Madam Maxine was waiting just ahead with a disapproving look on her face. She must have been livid with one of her students taking off the night before, especially with an uppity foreigner.

"Glad you could make it Ms. Delacour. We will be speaking of last nights behavior after the task. I always thought you had better sense than what you showed. Obviously I was mistaken." It was obvious what she was speaking about since her glare never left Harry. Well, at least she didn't show massive hero worship like the rest of the world.

Fleur, who was now walking right next to Harry, barely glanced at her Headmistress. "As you can see Madame Maxine, that I am beyond caring what you feel. If you couldn't figure it out on your own, your days of trying to mold me are over." She, along with Harry and the rest of the entourage walked right by the flustered Headmistress before she could rein her fury on them.

"Now, now. There will be plenty time for conversations later. I need to have a talk with Harry and my two students as well. Now is not the time though," Dumbledore stepped in, trying to prevent any scenes. He then quickly changed the subject to something he hoped was more comfortable. "It is good seeing you again Sirius. I had hoped you would come to me after your acquittal, but I see you haven't done so bad for yourself. Why, you even have a lovely young lady with you. May I ask who she is?"

"Of course Headmaster. It is after all, still your school." Sirius then gave him a big grin, eyes filled with mischief. "This is Kelly Blackwood, my beautiful girlfriend. We met in America last year, when Harry and I, along with his girls were on vacation."

With obvious delight in his voice, Dumbledore congratulated the man, "Good for you Sirius. I'm glad things are turning out for the better after your unfortunate incarceration." Ignoring the way everyone's eyes darkened at the reminder, he turned to the woman standing besides him, still looking around as if trying to catch a glimpse of everything at once. "It is wonderful to meet you Ms. Blackwood. Hogwarts is truly one of a kind. You aren't the first one to be stunned by its natural beauty. May I ask what school you went to?"

Kelly caught off guard by being spoken to by the extremely old man, could only blush like a school girl at being caught paying more attention to her surroundings than her host. Gathering herself under control, she began talking to the wizard. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. All of this magic is so new to me and wonderful. To think, that I've missed out on all of this for the first part of my life. I almost feel cheated. Thank you so much for inviting me."

Kelly was so excited that she missed the sour look that passed on Dumbledore's face. It wasn't that he had anything against muggles. He did truly believe he was their strongest champion, but he did fear what would happen if they were to find out of magic's existence. It was his biggest problem with the Lightning Phoenix. There was only a matter of time before people realized that the superhero wasn't some anomaly, but a single person from a different world.

Putting on a pleasant expression, knowing there was nothing he could do now, Dumbledore nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Well, it is wonderful having you here. I truly hope you enjoy your stay." Turning back to Sirius, Albus had to know if there were any more surprises. "So, what can I expect next Mr. Black or am I destined to be kept in the dark from now on." He couldn't help throwing in a little extra to make them feel guilty about keeping him uninformed.

"Knock it off Albus. The guilt trip doesn't work on me anymore," and then pointing to where Harry was joking around with his girls ahead of them, "and it never worked on Harry, so I wouldn't even try it. He would be more likely to laugh in your face at even attempting it. And remember, he has full support of the crown….which reminds me. Her majesty will be here for the final task sitting in Harry's visitors box. I have no doubt you will accommodate her accordingly."

Keeping his face neutral at yet another kink in his plans, Albus nodded politely. "Of course! I will make sure that everything is up to par. It will be good to see her again."

"If that is everything Albus, my godson and his entourage are waiting outside the tent. I would like to wish him and Fleur good luck. I will be sitting in Harry's box for family if anything is required of me. I assume it won't be a problem if Kelly and Harry's girls join me."'

Having expected this, Dumbledore motioned for Sirius to go on ahead. "Of course, my boy. I will see you again soon." With that he made his own way inside the tent to wait for the other tournament officials.

Sirius made his way over to Harry as Katie was giving him a massive hug. It was always interesting to see the strong willed girl Harry had met when he was seven get overly emotional in situations like this. Anytime Harry went out on a mission that was deemed dangerous at all, it was Katie that was most affected.

"I'll be fine Katie," Harry spoke lovingly to Katie as she tried to keep the tears out of her eyes. Harry was a completely different person when alone with his girls then he was when out in a crowd. He may have had Lily's intelligence, but his personality was all James. Giving Katie one last big hug, "I'll see you as soon as its over. You'll be with Padfoot in the family box."

As soon as Katie vacated the famous wizard's arms, Nym came rushing in to them. "Be careful Harry and make sure you completely crush Diggory." She spoke with disgust in her voice. Diggory was one of the few boys who couldn't get it through his head that Nymphadora Tonks wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. The fact that every other girl couldn't stop drooling over him, seemed to give him the impression that she was just playing hard to get and would eventually fall to his charms. She just hoped that the night before would be enough to get him to back off.

Chuckling at her, he nodded and gave her a smile. "Of course! Can't have some pretty boy thinking he has any chance with you. Now, quit worrying and have fun watching the tournament."

Harry watched Nym walk up and wish Fleur good luck before he had Madi in his arms. "Good luck Harry. Not that you need it. But you better keep me entertained. I would hate for all of the work I did on you end up with you embarrassing yourself in your first public appearance."

"Ha Ha Madi," Harry laughed mockingly at her. "I'm glad you have such faith in me." Giving her a quick kiss, he pushed her in Sirius's direction. "You guys better get out of here. I would hate to keep the judges waiting any longer." Giving everyone a reassuring smile, Harry turned and made his way over to Fleur so they could get started.

Grabbing her hand, nothing was said between them as they made their way into the tent. Walking through the flap, he immediately noticed that they were the last ones to arrive. In one corner stood Cedric Diggory with his Head of House, Pomona Sprout. In another corner sat the scowling visage of Viktor Krum and Durmstrang High master, Igor Karkaroff.

In the center of the room stood four figures, all of them had varying expressions. Ludo Bagmen, a former Quidditch great, was bouncing on the balls of his feet looking extremely excited about the upcoming festivities. Barty Crouch, head of the Department of International Cooperation, looked bored out of his mind. If one were to see his face, they would assume he was about to take part in an extremely time consuming business meeting, not an international competition that hasn't been used in centuries.

Albus Dumbledore, of course, looked as calm as ever. There was his ever present twinkle and he smiled as he saw the newcomers. Before he could get in a word though to welcome them, the final person made their presence known.

"I'm tired of your disrespect young lady? I don't remember giving you permission to leave with this ruffian," clearly pointing at Harry, who didn't look at all insulted by the large lady.

To the shock of the everyone there, besides Harry, Fleur gave her Headmistress a sneer. "And if you think I answer to you, you are sorely mistaken. As even you can understand, I am of age no longer need any permission from the Headmistress of the school to do as I please. Harry's been there since my parents were killed, far longer than I've been at Beauxbatons Madame. If you haven't guessed, it was Harry that has always sprung me from your attempts at controlling my summers."

After finally getting that off her chest, she retook Harry's hand and pulled him over to an unoccupied corner of the tent, leaving her Headmistress sputtering in anger. It was quite interesting how much time Madame Maxime spent trying to groom Fleur into the perfect little witch. She never came out and said it, but Fleur and Harry assumed it was her way of trying to prove that 'half-breeds' could be better than pure witches and wizards. Fleur was her attempt at getting back at everyone that belittled her. Just to further irritate the half giant, Fleur pushed Harry down into a chair and plopped herself right onto his lap.

Coughing to hide his amusement at the situation, Harry turned to the center of the tent where the three British judges were currently waiting. "Ready whenever you guys are."

Ludo needed no further prompting. "Well, gather round, gather round." He pulled out a bag from his pocket as he waited for all of the champions to get into position around him. "Now, in here is what you will be facing and what order you will be going in. Now ladies first." Ludo gave Fleur his most charming smile as he shoved the bag at her.

Reaching in, Fleur couldn't help it when her hand trembled a little bit, knowing what she was about to face. Grabbing onto the first object she could, she ignored the spikes that dug into her hands and the rough scales that were scraping her delicate skin as the model tried desperately to get out of her grasp. She did gasp though when she actually felt the small scale model actually shoot fire that slightly burned her palm. Finally bringing out the small dragon for the rest of the group to see, she could only sigh in relief, realizing she had gotten the common Welsh Green. While a dragon was a dragon and nothing to get complacent about, the Welsh Green was the most docile. It would leave you alone as long as it thought you posed no threat and even then tended to try and warn you off instead of attacking. Yes, Fleur was glad to get the dragon she did.

Harry had been watching Fleur as she reached into the bag. He knew that she had been informed about the task in advance and he had refused her when she wanted to tell him. When he saw the dragon, it wasn't much of a surprise, since he knew the first task tended to be a battle between a deadly magical creature. He was happy to see the look of relief that passed Fleur's face, knowing that she had worked endlessly on a way to defeat the task.

Looking at the other champions, Cedric was the only one that had paled significantly at the reveal. It was expected really. Dumbledore would never condone cheating, even if he knew that it put his own school at a significant disadvantage. Harry would have felt bad, if not for having to listen to all the times he went out of his way to antagonize Nym. Going after his girls, even if he didn't know that she was involved, was unforgivable to him.

Cedric reached in and pulled out the Swedish Shortsnout, while Krum pulled out a Chinese Fireball. Both of them were aggressive dragons when threatened. The Shortsnout tended to stay on the ground, while the Fireball took to the air at any opportunity. So far, each dragon would take a different strategy to beat.

As Harry reached in the bag, he couldn't help but feel excitement about what dragon he would face. This was the first time that people would be able to watch him in action and he had no plans to disappoint. The fact that it was against a dragon just increased the excitement. Grabbing onto the angry dragon model, he pulled out what he instantly recognized as a Hungarian Horntail.

The Horntail, while not the most dangerous of dragons, certainly presented a danger to anyone going up against it. They were said to have a keen intellect when facing an enemy and wouldn't easily be tricked.

"Excellent! Excellent! Now that everyone has their dragon, we can explain what you will be doing." Bagmen spoke excitedly. "Each dragon is a nesting mother and your goal is to get the golden egg that was placed in the center between the regular eggs. The rules are quite simple. The only thing you are allowed to bring with you into the ring is your wand, but everything else goes. There is no legal repercussions involved, meaning you can use any spells you deem necessary. Just remember that the judges are awarding points and it is their discretion what is appropriate or not. Now, any questions?" Looking around at the champions stoic faces, Ludo clapped his hands once and finished his speech. "Great! Cedric, your first, followed by Ms. Delacour and then Mr. Krum. Mr. Potter will be last. Good luck everyone." With that said, Mr. Bagmen, along with the rest of the judges swept from the tent and made their way to the judges area.

"You ready for this?" Harry asked Fleur when they reached their corner.

"Of course I am Harry. You don't doubt me, do you?

"You know I don't. I was just making sure you had everything planned out."

"I do, but that doesn't mean that my nerves aren't getting the better of me. I mean, I'm still going up against a dragon."

Laughing, Harry looked into Fleur's eyes and gave her a quick kiss. "You'll be great. Don't doubt yourself and remember you don't have to beat the dragon, just get the egg. Why don't you take the time until its your turn to relax. I'll be here if you need me."

Knowing that she needed the time to calm her nerves, Fleur just gave a quick nod after another kiss and sat down to mediate. It allowed her to calm her mind and breathe easier.

Harry decided to get up and get some refreshments. There was a small table with water and juice at one end of the tent. There was also some small sandwiches, but he wasn't sure why anyone would be hungry before facing a dragon. Grabbing a small cup of water, he felt the presence of someone coming up behind him.

"How'd you do it?"

Turning around he noticed it was Diggory. He wasn't really surprised with Cedric coming up to him. He understood that he had shocked the community with his re-entrance into the world, but he wasn't quite expecting the hostile look he was getting. He wasn't quite sure what the boy was asking either. "Do what exactly?"

"You know damn well what I mean. I don't care who you are, but I'm going to find out what you did to Tonks. There is no way she would go out with a guy like you. You don't even hide the fact that you're cheating on her with three other girls. She's meant to be with me and she'll see that eventually."

Cedric had started yelling by the end. Clearly his infatuation with Nym was worse than they thought. Both Fleur and Viktor were looking at them at this point, Cedric having distracted them from their pre-task preparations. Fleur looked mad at anyone thinking of her friend as a belonging, while Viktor looked intrigued at how the confrontation would end.

Deciding that getting angry would solve nothing in this situation, Harry calmly responded to the accusations, "First of all Mr. Diggory, I owe you no explanation for my relationships. As you saw last night, everyone in the relationship is well aware of everyone else. If for some reason Nym wants to leave me, I will of course be heart broken, but would never dream of standing in her way. That doesn't mean I wouldn't come begging for her to take me back, but I would never do anything to force her love. That's all you are getting out of me. Please refrain from speaking to me, if all you are going to do is talk about things you know nothing about."

For some reason as Harry's mini speech concluded, Cedric looked much happier. All in the tent were confused by his random mood swing. He must have grasped the part about Nym walking away and just assumed it was a matter of time before she came to her senses. "Well, let the better man win then!" he boasted before walking away, leaving the rest of the tent staring in disbelief at his retreating form.

Before Harry could recover from the awkward moment, a booming voice was heard over the roaring of the crowd. "WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE FIRST TASK OF THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT! OUR CONTESTANTS WILL BE FACING DOWN A MOTHER DRAGON AND HAVE ALREADY DRAWN THEIR OPPONENT! THEY EACH NEED TO GET A GOLDEN EGG THAT HAS BEEN PLACED WITH THE DRAGONS ACTUAL EGGS! WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, I PRESENT OUR FIRST CONTESTANT CEDRIC DIGGORY OF HOGWARTS!"

"Good luck Cedric," Harry spoke to the Hufflepuff. Never one to let another get the last word in to end an argument, Harry couldn't help himself, "And you wanted to know how I can keep a girl like Nym, or any of my girls actually?"

Cedric looked like he wanted nothing more than to decline what Harry was offering, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. "And what would that be?" he asked annoyed at speaking to him.

"Girls like a guy that can reach his eyebrows with his tongue." Harry watched as Krum choked and he didn't have to turn around to realize that Fleur was blushing. Cedric's was the most amusing expression though. He looked confused for a second before realizing what Harry was implying. His face just reddened with anger, before turning and stomping out towards the dragon.

"Do you really have to antagonize him Harry? Nym does a good enough job of that every day that she sees him." Fleur spoke from behind him.

"Oh, c'mon. It was funny."

"Maybe," Fleur didn't sound convinced, but her tone turned lustful, "I'm still waiting for the day that you try it on us. And you don't have an excuse anymore. We are all of age now and I know I'm not the only one that plans on taking advantage of you as soon as this task gets over."

Harry couldn't help but shiver at her voice. It had taken all of his strength to wait for the girls to become of age before doing anything that parents the world over would disapprove of. Now that Katie was seventeen, there wasn't anything holding him back, but nerves.

"Lets get through today and we'll see what happens tonight." Harry told her diplomatically.

Fleur, not convinced, just had to whisper one final thing as they heard the crowd cheering about something. "If you aren't going to help me with my needs, I may just need to go to Madi. I'm sure she would be willing to help." Seeing the smile on Harry's face at the thought, she decided to crush the happiness out of him. "And I'll lock you out so you can't watch."

That certainly got his attention, if the look of horror on his face was anything to go by. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Harry cried to his Veela girlfriend. "Alright, alright, no more excuses. Get through the tournament and you girls can have your way with me tonight."

Fleur smiled wickedly at him. "Glad you finally came to your senses. Now, don't get too distracted. You still have a dragon to defeat."

As she finished blackmailing Harry, they watched Cedric limp back into the tent with his golden egg under his arm. It looked like he had a broken right ankle and burns up his entire left side. Half of his brown hair had been burnt to the scalp. He was quickly grabbed by the school medi-witch before anything could be said. No one in the tent dared say anything or laugh though, knowing that there turn would be coming.

"CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. DIGGORY OF HOGWARTS! HE WAS ABLE TO REACH HIS EGG IN 15 MIN 23 SECS! HE SHOWED A MARVELOUS SKILL IN TRANSFIGURATION AS HE TRIED TO DISTRACT HIS OPPONENT! HIS SCORE IS A 32 OUT OF 50 WITH THE DEDUCTIONS COMING FROM HIS NUMEROUS INJURIES! NEXT UP, FROM BEAUXBATONS IS FLEUR DELACOUR!"

"Good luck Fleur!" She just gave a shaky nod, before straightening herself out. She walked confidently to the door and without looking back, strode into the arena. Harry had no idea what she had planned for the dragon, so he resigned himself to sitting back and worrying about her. He gave off the impression that he was fully confident in her abilities, but he would always worry about her and the others, especially in situations like this. He knew Fleur was planning on entering the tournament and he couldn't say that he was thrilled with the idea, but he would always support them. Now, he just hoped she would get it over with quickly.

Fleur knew that she had a couple of options when she walked out into the stadium. The Welsh Green afforded her a lot of time that other dragons wouldn't allow. One of her specialties in magic was enchanting and enchanting a being to sleep, even one as powerful as a dragon would be easy as long as it stayed still. Any of the other dragons and it would have been virtually impossible. It was the safest route, but this was entertainment as much as it was about getting the fastest time. What would her score be if she went that route. It certainly wasn't something that would wow the judges and audience.

She decided to go with plan B and if anyone asked, she would blame her boyfriend and all of his stupid reckless behavior. Calming herself, Fleur took out her wand and began drawing flaming symbols into the air. Everyone, including dragon, were watching fascinated as she demonstrated a mastery of Runes. It took about five minutes for her to finish and she had about twenty different symbols circling her.

With the fiery symbols still circling and picking up speed into a blur, so she looked like she had a ring of fire around her, she stepped confidently towards the dragon. The whole stadium sat silent, Bagmen forgetting he was supposed to be announcing, as the beautiful girl just walked right up to the dragon and stopped twenty feet from it. The only warning Fleur got that she was starting to get too close to the nest was a low growl.

At this point, she could see the gold glistening between the bone white eggs. It was easy to see that she wasn't going to get any closer without a direct confrontation with the dragon either. Hoping her calculations were correct, Fleur decided to test her first layer of defence.

The stadium forgot to breathe as the blonde took another step forward and before they could comprehend what was happening, fire was shot directly at the witch. Many expected her to shield or at least dodge, but she just sat there calmly waiting for the fire to reach her. About five feet from her, the fire seemed to hit a shield that diverted it around her. When the fire disappeared, the crowd could see Fleur still standing proud in the middle of her ring of fire, but two of the runes were now on the outside and even for the students who never studied the art, understood that they were some protection against the fire. How would they stand up to more than one attack though.

Before anyone could react, Fleur had her wand out banishing herself up into the air over the dragons tail that tried to swipe her. While in the air, Fleur was not stationary. She was flourishing her wand at the ring of fire flinging four runes out of it and hurtling them over to the nest, while the dragon was busy with its attack. The runes formed a square around the nest and as soon as the last one placed, the fire went out, to be replaced by a dim glowing blue light.

When she was back on the ground, both dragon and witch staring each other down, Fleur stopped the runes around her body. With dragon watching intently, she used her wand carefully to move runes, one by one to different areas of her body. Some were for temporary speed, strength, and agility, along with others.

Before the dragon could react, Fleur made her move. She shot towards the nest at incredible speeds, jumping over the dragons tail as it reacted and flinging two more runes that settled about 7 feet above the top of the eggs. Reaching the center of the nest just as the runes lit up brightly and formed a solid blue dome, protecting her from the dragons wrath.

The temporary ward would last a minute or two against the dragons tail and fire attacks, but Fleur had no plan to be there that long. Grabbing the gold egg and using the flame as a distraction, Fleur shot out from her ward towards the exit, narrowly missing the tail making a frantic attempt at rescuing her young. Before the dragon even recognized the girl was no longer there, Fleur was breathing a sigh of relief at coming out of the task with no harm. She didn't even acknowledge the ecstatic cheers from the crowd, just staring at the judges waiting for a score.

"WHAT A SHOW! MS. DELACOUR SHOWED REMARKABLE APTITUDE FOR RUNES AND NOT ONLY GOT THROUGH THE TASK WITHOUT HARM, SHE DIDN'T CAUSE ANY HARM TO HER DRAGON EITHER! WONDERFUL SHOW! NOW, FOR HER SCORES! FROM MADAME MAXINE! 10! FROM HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORE! 10! HIGH MASTER KARKAROFF! 8! BARTY CROUCH! 8! AND ME! 9! CONGRATULATIONS MS. DELACOUR! A SCORE OF 45."

Fleur couldn't be happier with her score and was even happier that she didn't end up like the first champion. One miscalculation or the dragon acting differently than research provided and it could have been disastrous. She was just satisfied that she proved her worth as school champion. The only thing that upset her now was the fact that she was ushered back into the stands after she was checked for injuries. She wasn't allowed to go back to Harry.

Finding Harry's section, she was congratulated by Katie, Nym, Madi, and Sirius. Kelly was too busy freaking out over the fact that dragons were real to congratulate her. She sat down gratefully and watched as Krum came out of the tent.

Krum's performance was impressive, if a little expected. Using a blinding hex to set his dragon on a rampage, that unfortunately destroyed some of the real eggs, he was able to summon his broom and swoop in and grab the egg. He was the fastest time so far, but had to be docked points for the destruction of the real eggs and for a lack of creativity. Krum ended up with a 37.

Next was the competitor that everyone was waiting for. "AND NEXT WE HAVE THE UNEXPECTED BUT DEFINITELY NOT UNWELCOME ADDITION TO OUR TOURNAMENT! SOMEONE WHO HASN'T BEEN SEEN SINCE HIS DEFEAT OF YOU-KNOW-WHO! WELCOME HARRY POTTER, THE LIGHTNING PHOENIX, FIGHTING FOR OUR VERY OWN CROWN!"

As soon as Bagmen was finished, the stadium was blanketed in darkness. Before anyone could cry out in alarm though, music started blaring throughout the arena. For Harry, it wasn't good enough to just put on a good show. He wanted the show to be something everyone would remember.

As the music boomed through the stadium, strobes of every color started raining down on the entrance to the arena, allowing all eyes to focus on that particular spot. People watched with anticipation for the person of interest to appear. They didn't need to wait long as Harry came out in what was fast becoming a trademark.

All anyone could see was a body lit up in white lightning calmly walking out into center stage, bolts of multicolored lights dancing around him. As he got closer to the stage, the song started to get louder, lights flying faster, and his visage getting brighter, until people had to start shielding their eyes. Just as it was getting too much, a pulse of energy released from Harry. The music and strobe lights stopped and the lightning flew from his body in all directions and the few that hadn't before had to shield themselves.

When there eyes adjusted again, there standing tall in the middle of the brightly lit arena, stood Harry Potter. He was no longer in the uniform he was in earlier. He was in much more comfortable clothing. The closest thing they could relate too would be basketball clothes. Athletic shorts that went past the knees, tennis shoes, and a black t-shirt that had his Lightning Phoenix logo on the back.

Ever the entertainer, Harry bowed to the cheering crowd for the entrance. It was easy to see that most of the cheering came from the students, but he had time to work on the adults. Getting back to the task, knowing that the entrance would be a big joke in the future if he couldn't pull off an entertaining task, Harry got himself ready to go.

Staring up at the snarling dragon, it was safe to say it wasn't quite as impressed with the entrance. Eggs were firmly behind the dragon, so the only way to get the egg would be through the dragon. Harry hated to think it, but this would be a lot easier if he could kill the dragon. Well, he could kill it and still be in the rules, but that didn't mean he wanted to.

He also couldn't go with his first idea using runes. After Fleur's remarkable performance, it would take away from his own. Well there was definitely one thing that he had to accomplish and wouldn't be satisfied unless it happened. He just hoped the Queen wouldn't be too upset with him.

Everyone associated him with Lightning and he had to admit it was his own fault since he did over use it and was his favorite, but wanted avoid it for the task. It would hopefully show he wasn't as one dimensional as some people would think.

Before Harry could even get off an attack, The Horntail showed how much more aggressive it was than the other dragons. It rushed straight at Harry and before he could blink, it was upon him with white hot fire spewing out of its mouth. With a quick turn, Harry disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing ten feet to the right of his previous position. It wasn't apparition, but a form of travel that lost its relevance centuries back. The most powerful could only travel a mile at a time and it was much more draining than apparition. It did have its uses though as Harry had just shown. He could have used it to grab the egg, but that almost seemed like cheating.

Quickly, while the dragon was staring around for her downed foe, Harry shot two purple beams of energy at the dragons front feet. Before she could react at his new position, Harry once again disappeared and ended up on the other side of the dragon. Two more beams of purple light hitting the dragons back feet and Harry was once again on the move.

This time Harry landed above the dragon on a rock that he had conjured. It was tricky magic, because the rock was being levitated through will power, and he had a few more charms to do at the same time. While the dragon was darting her head back and forth looking for her target, Harry carefully took aim. Four beams of blue light shot out in four different directions, hitting a rock in each corner of the stadium.

There was no chance of even seeing if the beams hit the intended targets, as the dragon shot another breath of fire destroying the conjured rock he had been standing on as soon as his last beam left his wand. Reappearing back at the entrance, Harry could only hope that the chains would hold a moment longer while he finished this. The magic he was about to use was incredibly draining.

Holding his wand at about an 80 degree angle into the sky, Harry began to chant in ancient welsh. About a minute later a golden glow started forming around him, starting at his feet and quickly growing until it reached his head. The golden aura was then sucked into Harry until there was none left. Not a second later, it was shot out from his wand in a beam of pure gold about six inches thick, straight into the sky.

The crowd didn't have to wait long as another beam of pure white came back down splitting up into four smaller spells, each one going to a different corner of the stadium. Where Harry had shot the four blue charms, they lit up in a blinding light. They in turn, shot a rope of purple energy towards each dragons feet.

The stadium was lit up in a number of different colored beams of energy and they were all connecting with each other, all tied together with the original beam of energy still coming down from the sky above the dragons head. Harry was no longer putting any of his power into the massive spell.

While the ropes of energy coming from the corners kept the dragons feet in place, that wasn't all the spell did. The charms on the feet began to come to life and energy began flowing between each one and since they were placed on the dragons feet, she had no chance of getting away. The energy continued to get more powerful by the second until you couldn't tell where the magic started and where it ended. It just looked like one massive halo circling the dragon.

The halo started rising, energy stretching out to cover dragon from feet to head. There was nothing dangerous about the spell. The energy just caused a temporary paralysis in the animals limbs. As long as the tornado of energy was around the dragon, it no longer formed a threat. It was actually a spell that was well known to Dragon Handlers even if they never used it due to the power requirements. Dumbledore and Voldemort could pull it off, but he doubted anyone else in Britain could.

Even though the dragon was dealt with for the time being, Harry wasn't quite done yet. Once again pointing his wand, this time straight at the dragon, Harry once again began chanting. It was in Latin, but he was mumbling hoping no one would pick up on what he was saying. A silver beam of energy shot out of the end, hitting the dragon right in the chest, enveloping it in magic. Once again the magic pulsed brightly when the spell finished. When everyone looked back, the dragon had been knocked out.

It was clear it was still alive, but Harry Potter had just taken down a dragon by himself. Walking over to the egg, he grabbed it and once again bowed to the cheering crowd. This time, the adults joined in with the students. It was quite a feat to pull off the magic he did. There were quite a few people that knew of the magic that he used, but that just impressed them more, knowing the requirements needed to use it.

"ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! TAKING DOWN A HUNGARIAN HORNTAIL WITHOUT A SCRATCH! IT SEEMS THAT MR. POTTER IS LIVING UP TO HIS REPUTATION AS THE LIGHTING PHOENIX! LETS GET THE SCORES! MAXIME GIVES A 10! I ALSO MUST GIVE A 10 FOR OUTSTANDING MAGIC! KARKAROFF GIVES A 9! DUMBLEDORE GIVES A 10! AND BARTY CROUCH ALSO GIVES A 10! THAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IS A 49 AND HE IS CURRENTLY OUR LEADER GOING INTO THE SECOND TASK!"

By this point the crowd was screaming itself hoarse at the score their hero received. Harry bowed again and started to make his way to the medical tent so he could get checked out. He stopped moving when he heard the change in the crowd. Looking back, he noticed they were all looking back at the fallen dragon.

"Shit!" Harry swore. The dragon was glowing again and there was only one reason that would be. Before he could get away, there was a pop and the dragon disappeared. Harry watched as the dragon handlers rushed into the stadium, searching for their missing dragon. Harry knew exactly what they would find.

Seeing a red headed dragon handler staring at something on the ground in shock before looking between Harry and the ground back and forth.

"Mr. Weasley? What seems to be the problem?" the voice of Albus Dumbledore boomed from the judges stand.

"The dragons gone!" Weasley yelled back in panic. He then bent over and picked up something from the ground, showing the entire stadium. "This is the model that the Champions used to pick what dragon they were going to face. The actual dragon is gone!"

The entire stadium then turned to the one they assumed was responsible. Most had incredulous looks on their faces trying to figure out what was going on.

Harry, for his part was looking at the entire stadium with a sheepish expression on his face. His hand going through his hair, a trait many remember his father possessing when he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be. "Umm, I had really hoped that the spell was going to last longer." Harry couldn't help admit. He did end it with a nervous chuckle.

"Mr. Potter. Please tell us what happened to the real dragon."

The whole stadium was waiting on the answer. "Well Bagmen did tell us that nothing we did in the arena was against the rules and there could be no legal repercussions. Well, I've always wanted a dragon, so I sorta switched the real dragon with the model dragon in my pocket."

"And where exactly is the real dragon?" Dumbledore asked in exasperation.

"Potter manor and I'm sure my elves are already taking wonderful care of it."

The only stadium just watched in shock, some awe at the way the teenager just stole a full grown dragon out from under them. The fact that there was nothing that could be done to him just added to their expressions.

Giving a nervous chuckle at everyone, Harry couldn't help but ask, "This isn't going to affect my score, is it?"

**A/N Well three months instead of five this time. Getting better. **

**Good news and bad news. The good news is that I have 5 thousand words done of my next chapter. The bad, for some of you, is that its going to be a lot of stuff from Harry's earlier life, since I didn't get to any of it in this one. This one just kept going and going.**

**Review!**

**JOAH ESA**


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